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PHILADELPHIA: 

1  B.  LIPPINC8TT 
1859. 


CQ. 


MAN  UPON  THE  SEA: 


OR,    A   HISTORY   OF 


MARITIME    ADVENTURE,    EXPLORATION 
AND   DISCOVERY, 

JOT  %  6arlwst  Jiges  to  the  Drwcnt  £imt. 


COMPRISING    A    DETAILED    ACCOT7XT    OF 


REMARKABLE   YOYAGES, 


ANCIENT  AS  WELL  AS  MODERN. 


BV 


FRAKK  B.  GOODRICH, 

AUTHOR   OF    "THE   LETTERS  OF   DICK   TINTO/'    "THE  COURT   OF    NAPOLEON."   ETC. 


WITH   NUMEROUS    IliUSTHATIONS. 
By  Van  Ingen  and  Snyder. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
J.    B.    LTPPINCOTT  &   CO 

1858. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 
FKAXK  B.  GOODRICH, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 
J.  B.  LIPPIXCOTT  &  CO. 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Vnited  States  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  Pennsylvania. 


ANNEX 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION  I. 

FROM    THE    EARLIEST   TIMES   TO    THE    COMMENCEMENT   OF    THE    CHRISTIAN*   ERA. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I.— The  Purpose  of  this  Work— The  Ocean  in  the  Scriptural  Period 
— The  Marvels  of  the  Sea — The  Classic  Legends — The  Fantastic  Notions  enter 
tained  of  the  North  and  the  Equator — The  Giant  of  the  Canaries — The  Sea  of 
Sea- Weed — The  Spectre  of  the  Cape — The  Gradual  Surrender  of  the  Secrets  of 
the  Sea — It  becomes  the  Highway  of  Nations — Its  Present  Aspect — Its  Poetical 
Significance — Its  Moral  Lessons 13 

CHAPTER  II.— The  Origin  of  Navigation— The  Nautilus— The  Split  Reed  and 
Beetle — The  Beaver  floating  upon  a  Log — The  Hollow  Tree — The  First  Canoe 
—The  Floating  Nutshell— The  Oar— The  Rudder— The  Sail— The  Tradition  of 
the  First  Sail-Boat 25 

CHAPTER  III.— The  Flood  and  the  Building  of  the  Ark— The  Arguments  of 
Infidelity  against  a  Universal  Deluge — The  Material  of  which  the  Ark  was 
built — Its  Capacity,  Dimensions,  and  Form — Its  Proportions  copied  in  Modern 
Ocean- Steamers 29 

CHAPTER  IV. — The  Ships,  Commerce,  and  Navigation  of  the  Phoenicians — 
Their  Trade  with  Ophir — Sidon  and  Tyre — Their  Voyage  round  Africa — New- 
Tyre — A  Patriotic  Phoenician  Captain— The  Egyptians  as  a  Maritime  People 
— Their  Ships  and  Commerce — The  Jews — Their  Geography — Ideas  upon  the 
Shape  of  the  Earth — The  World  as  known  to  the  Hebrews 39 

CHAPTER  V.— The  Early  Maritime  History  of  the  Greeks— The  Expedition  of 
the  Argonauts — The  Vessels  used  in  the  Trojan  War — Ship-Building  in  the 
Time  of  Homer — The  Poetic  Geography  of  the  Greeks — The  Palace  of  the 
Sun — The  Marvels  of  a  Voyage  out  of  Sight  of  Land — The  Geography  of 
Hesiod — Of  Anaximander — Of  Thales,  Herodotus,  Socrates,  and  Eratosthenes 
— The  Great  Ocean  is  named  the  Atlantic 47 

CHAPTER  VL— Construction  of  Greek  Vessels— The  Prow,  Poop,  Rudder, 
Oars,  Masts,  Sails,  Cordage,  Bulwarks,  Anchors — Biremes,  Triremes,  Quadri- 
remes,  Quinqueremes — The  Grand  Galley  of  Ptolemy  Philopator — Roman  Ves 
sels — Their  Navy — Mimic  Sea-Fights— The  Five  Voyages  of  Antiquity 58 

CHAPTER  VII.— The  Voyage  of  Hanno  the  Carthaginian— He  sees  Crocodiles, 
Apes,  and  Volcanoes — The  Voyage  of  Himilcon  to  Al-Bion — The  Voyage  and 
Ignominious  Fate  of  Sataspes  the  Persian — The  Voyage  of  Pytheas  the  Pho- 
cian — The  Sacred  Promontory — A  New  Atmosphere — Amber — Return  Home 
—  The  Veracity  of  Pytheas'  Narrative  —  The  Expedition  of  Nearchus  the 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

PAG" 

Macedonian — Strange  Phenomena  in  the  Heavens — The  Icthyophagi — Houses 
built  of  the  Bones  of  Whales — Fish  Flour — A  Cattle  with  Whales — An  Unex 
pected  Meeting  —  The  Distance  traversed  by  Nearchus  —  The  Voyage  of 
Eudoxus  along  the  African  Coast — State  of  Navigation  at  the  Opening  of  the 
Christian  Era 67 

SECTION  II. 

FROM    THE    COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE     CHRISTIAN    ERA.    TO    THE    APPLICATION    OT" 
THE    MAGNETIC    NEEDLE    TO    EUROPEAN    NAVIGATION,    A.D.  1300. 

CHAPTER  VIII. — Navigation  during  the  Roman  Empire — The  Rise  of  Venice 
and  Genoa — The  Crusades — Their  Effect  upon  Commerce — Wedding  of  the 
Adriatic — Creation  of  the  French  Navy — Introduction  of  Eastern  Art  into 
Europe — Maps  of  the  Middle  Ages — Remote  Effect  of  the  Crusades  upon 
Geographical  Science 84 

CHAPTER  IX. — The  Scandinavian  Sailors — Their  Piracies  and  Commerce — 
The  Anglo-Saxons — Alfred  the  Great  a  Ship-Builder — The  Voyage  of  Beowulf 
— Discover}'  of  Iceland  by  the  Danes — Discovery  of  Greenland — The  Voyage 
of  Bjarni  and  Leif  to  the  American  Continent — Their  Discovery  of  Newfound 
land,  Nova  Scotia,  Nantucket,  and  Massachusetts — Adventures  of  Thorwald 
and  Thorfinn — Comparison  of  the  Discoveries  of  the  Northmen  with  those  of 
Columbus 90 

CHAPTER  X.— The  Travels  of  Marco  Polo — The  First  Mention  of  Japan  in  His 
tory — Kublai  Khan — Marco  Polo's  Voyage  from  Amoy  to  Ormuz — Malacca — 
Sumatra — Pygmies — Singular  Stories  of  Diamonds — The  Roc — Polo  not  recog 
nised  upon  his  Return — Jlis  Imprisonment — The  Publication  of  his  Narrative 
— The  Interest  awakened  in  China,  Japan,  and  the  Islands  of  Spices 9'J 

CHAPTER  XI.— The  First  Mention  of  the  Loadstone  in  History— Its  Early 
Names — The  First  Mention  of  its  Directive  Power — A  Poem  upon  the  Compass 
Six  Hundred  Years  Old — Friar  Bacon's  Magnet — The  Loadstone  in  Arabia — 
An  Eye-Witncss  of  its  Efficiency  in  the  Syrian  Waters  in  the  Year  1240 — The 
Magnet  in  China — Early  Mention  of  it  in  Chinese  Works — The  Variation 
noticed  in  the  Twelfth  Century — Other  Discoveries  made  by  the  Chinese — 
Modern  Errors — Flavio  Gioia — The  Arms  of  Amalfi — All  Records  lost  of  the 
First  Voyage  made  with  the  Compass  by  a  European  Ship 104 

SECTION  III. 

FROM    THE  APPLICATION   OF   THE    MAGNETIC   NEEDLE  TO  EUROPEAN    NAVIGATION 
TO    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    ROUND    THE    WORLD    UNDER    MAGELLAN  :    1300-1519. 

CHAPTER  XII.— The  Portuguese  on  the  Coast  of  Africa— The  Spaniards  and 
the  Canary  Isles — Don  Henry  of  Portugal — The  Terrible  Cape,  now  Cape 
Bojador — The  Sacred  Promontory — Discovery  of  the  Madeiras — A  Dreadful 
Phenomenon — A  Prolific  Rabbit  and  a  Wonderful  Conflagration — Hostility  of 
the  Portuguese  to  further  Maritime  Adventure — The  Bay  of  Horses — The  First 
Gold-Dust  seen  in  Europe — Discovery  of  Cape  Verd  and  the  Azores— The 
Europeans  approach  the  Equator — Journey  of  Cada-Mosto — Death  of  Don 
Henry — Progress  of  Navigation  under  the  Auspices  of  this  Prince 113 


CONTENTS.  5 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XIII. — The  Portuguese  cross  the  Equator  from  Guinea  to  Congo — 
John  II.  conceives  the  idea  of  a  Route  by  Sea  to  the  Indies — His  Artifices  to 
prevent  the  Interference  of  other  Nations — The  Overland  Journey  of  Covillam 
to  India — The  Voyage  of  Bartholomew  Diaz — The  Doubling  of  the  Tremen 
dous  Cape — Its  Baptism  by  the  King — Injurious  Effects^of  Success  upon  Por 
tuguese  Ambition 124 

CHAPTER  XIV.— Birth  of  Christopher  Columbus— His  Early  Life  and  Educa 
tion — His  First  Voyage — His  Marriage — His  Maritime  Contemplations— Ho 
makes  Proposals  to  the  Senate  of  Genoa,  the  Court  of  Venice,  and  the  King 
of  Portugal — The  Duplicity  of  the  latter — Columbus  visits  Spain — Juan  de 
Marchena — Columbus  repairs  to  Cordova — His  Second  Marriage — His  Letter 
to  the  King — The  Junto  of  Salamanca — Columbus  resolves  to  shake  the  dust 
of  Spain  from  his  feet — Marchena's  Letter  to  Isabella — The  Queen  gives 
Audience  to  Columbus — The  Conditions  stipulated  by  the  latter — Isabella 
accepts  the  Enterprise,  while  Ferdinand  remains  aloof. 128 

CHAPTER  XV.— The  Port  of  Palos— The  Superstition  of  its  Mariners— The 
Hand  of  Satan — A  Bird  which  lifted  Vessels  to  the  Clouds — The  Pinta  and 
the  Nina — The  Santa  Maria — Capacity  of  a  Spanish  Caravel — The  three  Pin- 
zons — The  Departure — Columbus'  Journal — The  Helm  of  the  Pinta  unshipped 
— The  Variation  of  the  Needle — The  Appearance  of  the  Tropical  Atlantic — 
Floating  Vegetation — The  Sargasso  Sea — Alarm  and  tbreatened  Mutiny  of 
the  Sailors — Perplexities  of  Columbus — Land  !  Land  !  a  False  Alarm — Indi 
cations  of  the  Vicinity  of  Land — -Murmurs  of  the  Crews — Open  Revolt  quelled 
by  Columbus — Floating  Reeds  and  Tufts  of  Grass — Land  at  last — The  Vessels 
anchor  over-night 137 

CHAPTER  XVI. — Discovery  of  Guanahani — Ceremonies  of  taking  Possession — 
Exploration  of  the  Neighboring  Islands — Search  for  Gold — Cuba  supposed  by 
Columbus  to  be  Japan — The  Cannibals — Haiti — Return  Homewards — A  Storm 
— An  Appeal  to  the  Virgin — Arrival  at  the  Azores — Conduct  of  the  Portuguese 
— Columbus  at  Lisbon — At  Palos— At  Barcelona — Columbus'  Second  Voyage 
— Discovery  of  Guadeloupe,  Antigoa,  Santa  Cruz,  Jamaica — Illness  of  Colum 
bus — Terrible  Battle  between  the  Spaniards  and  the  Savages — Columbus  re 
turns  to  Spain — His  Reception  by  the  Queen — His  Third  Voyage — The  Region 
of  Calms — Discovery  of  Trinidad  and  of  the  Main  Land — Assumption  and 
Margarita — Columbus  in  Chains 147 

CHAPTER  XVII.— The  Failing  Health  of  Columbus— His  Fourth  Voyage- 
Martinique,  Porto  Rico,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica,  Panama — His  Search  for  a 
Channel  across  the  Isthmus — He  predicts  an  Eclipse  of  the  Moon  at  Jamaica 
— His  Return — The  Death  of  Isabella — Columbus  Penniless  at  Valla dolid— His 
Death— His  Four  Burials — The  Injustice  of  the  World  towards  Columbus — 
Christopher  Pigeon— Amerigo  Vespucci — The  New  World  named  America- 
Errors  of  Modern  Historians— The  District  of  Columbia— John  Cabot  in 
Labrador — Sebastian  Cabot  in  Hudson's  Bay — Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon  at  the 
Mouths  of  the  Amazon 156 

CHAPTER  XVIII. — Portuguese  Navigation  under  Emmanuel — Popular  Preju 
dices — The  Lusiad  of  Camoens — Vasco  da  Gama — Maps  of  Africa  of  the  Period 
— Preparations  for  an  Indian  Voyage — Religious  Ceremonies — The  Departure 
— Rendezvous  at  the  Cape  Verds — landing  upon  the  Coast — The  Natives — An 
Invitation  to  Dinner,  and  its  Consequences — A  Storm — Mutiny — The  Spectre 
of  the  Cape 167 


0  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XIX. — Da  Gama  and  the  Negroes — The  Hottentots  and  Caffres — 
Adventure  with  an  Albatross — The  River  of  Good  Promise — Mozambique — 
Treachery  of  the  Natives — Morubassa — Melinda,  aud  its  Amiable  King — Fes 
tivities — The  Malabar  Coast — Calicut — The  Route  to  the  Indies  discovered....  176 

CHAPTER  XX. — The  Moors  in  Hindostan — Condition  of  the  Country  upon  the 
Arrival  of  Da  Gama — Hostility  of  the  Moors — They  prejudice  the  King  of 
Calicut  against  the  Portuguese — Consequent  Hostilities — Da  Gama  sets  out 
upon  his  Return — Wild  Cinnamon — A  Moorish  Pirate  disguised  as  an  Italian 
Christian — A  Tempestuous  Voyage — Wreck  of  the  San  Rafael — Honors  and 
Titles  bestowed  upon  Da  Gama — An  Expedition  fitted  out  under  Alvarez 
Cabral — Accidental  Discovery  of  Brazil — Comets  and  Water-Spouts — Loss  of 
Four  Vessels — A  Bazaar  established  at  Calicut — Attack  by  the  Moors — Cabral 
withdraws  to  Cochin — Visits  Cananor  and  takes  in  a  Load  of  Cinnamon — Is 
received  with  Coldness  upon  his  Return — Vasco  da  Gama  recalled  into  the 
Service  by  the  King — His  Achievements  at  Sofala,  Cananor,  and  Calicut — He 
hangs  Fifty  Indians  at  the  Yard-Arm — Protects  Cochin  and  threatens  Calicut 
— Withdraws  to  Private  Life 184 

CHAPTER  XXI.— Spread  of  the  Portuguese  East  Indian  Empire— Alphonzo 
d'Albuquerque — Immense  Sacrifice  of  Life — Ancient  Route  of  the  Spice-Trade 
with  Europe — Commerce  by  Caravans — Revolution  produced  by  opening  the 
New  Route — Francesco  Almeida — Discovery  of  Ceylon — Tristan  d'Acunha — 
The  Portuguese  Mars — His  Views  of  Empire — An  Arsenal  established  at  Goa 
— Reduction  of  Malacca — Siam  and  Sumatra  send  Embassies  to  Albuquerque 
— The  Island  of  Ormuz — Death  of  Albuquerque — Extent  of  the  Portuguese 
Dominion — Ormuz  becomes  the  great  Emporium  of  the  East — Fall  of  the 
Portuguese  Empire 193 

CHAPTER  XXII.— Ponce  de  Leon— The  Fountain  of  Youth— Discovery  of 
Florida  —  The  Martyrs  and  the  Tortugas  —  The  Bahama  Channel  —  Vasco 
Nunez  de  Balboa — He  goes  to  Sea  in  a  Barrel — Marries  a  Lady  of  the  Isth 
mus — His  Search  for  Gold — Hears  of  a  Mighty  Ocean — Undertakes  to  reach  it 
— Preparations  for  the  Expedition — Leoncico  the  Bloodhound — Battle  with  a 
Cacique — Ascent  of  the  Mountains — Balboa  mounts  to  the  Summit  alone — The 
First  Sight  of  the  Pacific — Ceremonies  of  taking  Possession — Balboa  up  to  his 
Knees  in  the  Ocean — Every  one  tastes  the  Water — A  Voyage  upon  the 
Pacific,  and  a  Narrow  Escape — Ignominious  Fate  of  Balboa — Juan  Diaz  de 
Soils— Discovers  the  Rio  de  la  Plata — His  Horrible  Death  by  Cannibals 199 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— Remarkable  Foresight  of  the  Court  of  Rome— A  Papal 
Bull — Ferdinand  Magellan — He  offers  his  Services  to  Spain — His  Plans — His 
Fleet — Pigafetta  the  Historian — An  Inauspicious  Start — Teneriffe  and  its 
Legends — St.  Elmo's  Fire — The  Crew  make  Famous  Bargains  with  the  Can 
nibals — Heavy  Price  paid  for  the  King  of  Spades — Patagonian  Giants — Piga- 
fetta's  Exaggerations — The  Healing  Art  in  Patagonia — The  Tragedy  of  Port 
Julian — Discovery  of  a  Strait — The  Open  Sea — Cape  Deseado — The  Ocean 
named  Pacific — Ravages  of  the  Scurvy — A  Patagonian  Paul — The  Needle  be 
comes  Lethargic— Discovery  of  the  Ladrones — The  First  Cocoanut — A  Catholic 
Ceremony  upon  a  Pagan  Island 210 

CHAPTER  XXIV.— Discovery  of  the  Philippines — The  King  of  Znbu  wishes 
the  King  of  Spain  to  pay  Tribute — He  finally  abandons  the  idea — A  whole 
Island  converted  to  Christianity — Magellan  performs  a  Miracle — A  Dumb 


CONTEXTS.  7 

PAGE 

Man  recovers  his  Speech — Magellan  invades  a  Refractory  Island — His  Death 
— Attempts  to  recover  his  Body — The  Christian  Island  returns  to  Idolatry — 
The  Ships  arrive  at  Borneo — The  Sailors  drink  too  freely  of  Arrack — Festi 
vities  and  Treachery — Vivid  Imagination  of  Pigafetta — The  Fleet  arrives  at 
the  Moluccas — The  King  of  Tidore — A  Brisk  Trade  in  Cloves — The  Spice- 
Tariff — The  Yittoria  sails  Homeward — Pigafetta  is  again  imaginative — Arrival 
at  the  Cape  Yerds — Loss  of  One  Day — Completion  of  the  First  Voyage  of  Cir 
cumnavigation — Pigafetta's  Romance  becomes  Veritable  History 221 


SECTION  IA". 

FROM    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    ROUXD    THE    WORLD    TO    THE    DISCOVERY    OF 
CAPE    HORN  :     1519-1616. 

CHAPTER  XXV.— Voyage  of  Jacques  Cartier— Maritime  Projects  of  Francis  I. 
of  France — Gulf  of  St  Lawrence — A  Quick  Trip  Home — Second  Voyage — 
Canada,  Quebec.  Montreal — A  Captive  King — Voyage  of  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby 
and  Richard  Chancellor — Discovery  of  Nova  Zembla — Disastrous  Winter — 
Fate  of  the  Expedition — Martin  Frobisher — His  Voyage  in  Quest  of  a  North 
west  Passage — Greenland — Labrador — Frobisher's  Straits — Exchange  of  Cap 
tives — Supposed  Discovery  of  Gold — Second  Voyage — A  Cargo-  of  Precious 
Earth  taken  on  Board — Meta  Incognita — Third  Voyage — A  Mortifying  Con 
clusion  230 

CHAPTER  XXVI.— Origin  of  English  Piracy— Sir  John  Hawkins— Francis 
Drake — His  First  Voyage  to  the  Spanish  Main — Commission  granted  by 
Queen  Elizabeth — Expedition  against  the  Spanish  Possessions — Exploits  at 
Mogador  and  Santiago — Crossing  the  Line — Arrival  in  Patagonia — Trial  and 
Execution  of  Doughty — Passage  through  Magellan's  Strait — Adventures  of 
William  Pitcher  and  Seven  Men — Cape  Horn — Arrival  at  Valparaiso — Rifling 
of  a  Catholic  Church 239 

CHAPTER  XXVIL— Drake's  Exploit  with  a  Sleeping  Spaniard— His  Achieve 
ments  at  Callao — Battle  with  a  Treasure-Ship — Drake  gives  a  Receipt  for  her 
Cargo — Indites  a  Touching  Epistle — His  Plans  for  Returning  Home — Fresh 
Captures — Performances  at  Guatnlco  and  Acapnlco — Drake  dismisses  his 
Pilot — Exceeding  Cold  Weather — Drake^ regarded  as  a  God  by  the  Califor- 
nians — -Sails  for  the  Moluccas — Visits  Ternate  and  Celebes — The  Pelican  upon 
a  Reef — The  Return  Voyage — Protest  of  the  Spanish  Ambassador — He  styles 
Drake  the  Master-Thief  of  the  Unknown  World — Queen  Elizabeth  on  board 
the  Pelican — Drake's  Use  of  his  Fortune— His  Death — The  Voyage  of  John 
Davis  to  the  Northwest 250 

CHAPTER  XXVIII.— Policy  of  Queen  Elizabeth— Thomas  Cavendish— His 
First  Voyage — Exploits  upon  the  African  and  Brazilian  Coasts — Port  Desire 
— Port  Famine — Battles  with  the  Araucanians — Capture  of  Paita — Robbery 
of  a  Church — Repeated  Acts  of  Brigandage — Capture  of  the  Santa  Anna — The 
Return  Voyage — Cavendish's  Account  of  the  Expedition — The  Spanish  Armada 
— Preparations  in  England — The  Conflict — Total  Rout  of  the  Invincibles — 
Procession  in  Commemoration  of  the  Event ..  2JS 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XXIX.— The  Fiction  of  El  Dorado — Manoa— Description  of  its 
Fabled  Splendors — Attempts  of  the  Spaniards  to  Discover  it — Sir  Walter  Ra 
leigh — His  Voyage  to  Guiana — His  Account  of  the  Orinoco — His  Description 
of  the  Scenery — His  Return — His  Second  Voyage — Expedition  to  Newfound 
land — His  Death — Modern  Interpretation  of  the  Legend  of  El  Dorado 267 

CHAPTER  XXX. — Discovery  of  the  Solomon  Islands  by  Mendana — He  seeks 
for  them  again  Thirty  Years  later — Quiros — The  Marquesas  Islands — The 
Women  compared  with  those  of  Lima — Strange  Fruits — Conversions  to  Chris 
tianity — Arduous  Voyage — Santa  Cruz — Mendana  exchanges  Names  with 
Malop6 — Hostilities — War,  and  its  Results — Death  of  Mendana — Quiros  con 
ducts  the  Ships  to  Manilla 273 

CHAPTER  XXXI.— Attempts  of  the  Dutch  to  discover  a  Northeast  Passage- 
Voyage  of  Wilhelm  Barentz — Arrival  at  Nova  Zembla — Winter  Quarters — 
Building  a  House — Fights  with  Bears — The  Sun  Disappears — The  Clock  Stops, 
and  the  Beer  Freezes — The  House  is  Snowed  up — The  Hot-Ache — Fox-Traps 
— Twelfth  Night — Return  of  the  Sun — The  Ships  prove  Unseaworthy — Pre 
parations  to  Depart  in  the  Boats — Death  of  Barentz — Arrival  at  Amsterdam 
—Results  of  the  Voyage 279 

CHAPTER  XXXIL— The  Five  Ships  of  Rotterdam— Battle  at  the  Island  of 
Brava — Sebald  de  Weert — Disasters  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan — The  Crew 
eat  Uncooked  Food — The  Fleet  is  scattered  to  the  Winds— Adventures  of  De 
Weert — A  Wretched  Object — Return  to  Holland — Voyage  of  Oliver  Van  Noort 
— Barbarous  Punishment — The  Emblem  of  Hope  becomes  a  Cause  of  Despair 
— Fight  with  the  Patagonians — Arrest  of  the  Vice-Admiral — His  Punishment 
— Description  of  a  Chilian  Beverage — Capture  of  a  Spanish  Treasure-Ship — 
A  Pilot  thrown  Overboard — Sea-Fight  off  Manilla — Return  Home,  after  the 
First  Dutch  Voyage  of  Circumnavigation 286 

CHAPTER  XXXIII.— Quiros'  Theory  of  a  Southern  Continent— His  Arguments 
and  Memorials — His  First  Voyage — Discoveries — Encarnafion — Sagittaria,  or 
Tahiti — Description  of  these  Islands — Manicolo — Espiritu  Santo — Its  Produc 
tions  and  Inhabitants — Quiros  before  the  King  of  Spain — His  Belief  in  his 
Discovery  of  a  Continent — His  Disappointment — Renewed  Solicitations — 
Death  of  Quiros — Discoveries  of  Torres — The  Muscovy  Company  of  London — 
Henry  Hudson — His  Voyages  to  Spitzbergen  and  Nova  Zembla — His  Voyage 
to  America — Casts  Anchor  at  Sandy  Hook — Ascends  the  Hudson  River  as  far 
as  the  Site  of  Albany — His  Voyage  to  Iceland  and  Hudson's  Bay— Disastrous 
Winter — Mutiny — Hudson  set  adrift — His  Death 298 

CHAPTER  XXXIV.— The  Fleet  of  Joris  Spilbergen— Arrival  in  Brazil— Adven 
tures  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan — Trade  at  Mocha  Island — Treachery  at  Santa- 
Maria — Terrible  Battle  between  the  Dutch  and  Spanish  Fleets— Ravages  of 
the  Coast — Skirmishes  upon  the  Land — Spilbergen  sails  for  Manilla — Arrival 
at  Ternate — His  Return  Home — The  Voyage  of  Schouten  and  Lemaire — 
Lemonade  at  Sierra  Leone — A  Collision  at  Sea — Discovery  of  Staten  Land — 
Cape  Horn — Lemaire's  Strait — Arrival  at  Batavia — Confiscation  of  the  Ships 
— General  Results  of  the  Voyage — The  Voyage  of  William  Baffin — Arctic 
Researches  during  the  Seventeenth  Century 309 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION  V. 

FROM    THE   DISCOVERY    OF   CAPE    HORN    TO   THE    APPLICATION    OF    STEAM    TO 
NAVIGATION  :    1616-1807. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XXXV.— A  Famous  Vessel— The  Mayflower— Her  Appearance— The 
Speedwell — Departure  of  the  Two  Ships — Alleged  Unseaworthiness  of  the 
Speedwell — The  Mayflower  sails  alone — The  Equinoctial — Consultations — 
A  Remedy  applied — First  View  of  the  Land — Subsequent  History  and  Fate 
of  the  Mayflower 321 

CHAPTER  XXXVI.— Discovery  of  New  Holland— Tasman  ordered  to  survey 
the  Island — Discovery  of  Van  Diemen's  Land — Of  New  Zealand — Murderers' 
Bay — The  Friendly  Islands — The  Feejees — New  Britain — An  Earthquake  at 
Sea — A  Copious  Language — Circumnavigation  of  New  Holland — Return  to 
Batavia — Results  of  the  Voyage — Dutch  Opinions  of  Tasman's  Merit 328 

CHAPTER  XXXVII.— Piracy— Origin  of  the  Buccaneers— Their  Manner  of 
Life — Dress — Occupation — The  Island  of  Tortuga  their  Head-Quarters — 
Their  Religious  Scruples — Manner  of  dividing  Spoils — The  Exterminator — 
The  Observance  of  the  Sabbath — Exploits  of  Henry  Morgan — Impotence  of 
the  Spaniards — Career  of  William  Dampier — His  First  Piratical  Cruise — Ad 
ventures  by  Land  and  Sea — Description  of  the  Plantain-Tree — Lingering 
Deaths  by  Poison — Reproaches  of  Conscience — The  New-Hollanders — Dam- 
pier's  Dangerous  Voyage  in  an  Open  Boat — Piracy  upon  the  American  Coast 
— William  Kidd  sent  against  the  Pirates — He  turns  Pirate  himself — His  Ex 
ploits,  Detection,  and  Execution  —  His  Buried  Treasures  —  Wreck  of  the 
Whidah  Pirate-Ship 333 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII.— The  Voyage  of  Woodes  Rogers— Desertion  checked 
by  a  Novel  Circumstance — A  Light  seen  upon  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez 
— A  Boat  sent  to  Reconnoitre — Alexander  Selkirk  discovered — His  History 
and  Adventures — His  Dress,  Food,  and  Occupations — -He  ships  with  Rogers 
as  Second  Mate — -Turtles  and  Tortoises — Fight  with  a  Spanish  Treasure-Ship 
— Profits  of  the  Voyage — The  South  Sea  Bubble — Its  Inflation  and  Collapse 
— Measures  of  Relief. 355 

CHAPTER  XXXIX.— The  Dutch  West  India  Company— Renewed  Search  for 
the  Terra  Australis  Incognita — Jacob  Roggewein — His  Voyage  of  Discovery 
— Brush  with  Pirates — Arrival  at  Juan  Fernandez — Easter  Island — Its  In 
habitants — Entertainment  of  one  on  board  the  Ship — A  Misunderstanding — 
Pernicious  and  Recreation  Islands— Glimpse  of  the  Society  Islands— A  Famine 
in  the  Fleet — Arrival  at  New  Britain — Confiscation  of  the  Ship  at  Batavia — 
Decision  of  the  States- General — Vitus  Behring — Behring's  Strait — Description 
of  the  Scene — Death  of  Behring — Subsequent  Survey  of  the  Strait 305 

CHAPTER  XL. — Piratical  Voyage  under  George  Anson — Unparalleled  Mor 
tality — Arrival  and  Sojourn  at  Juan  Fernandez — A  Prize— Capture  of  Paita — 
Preparations  to  attack  the  Manilla  Galleon  —  Disappointment — Fortunate 
Arrival  at  Tinian — Romantic  Account  of  the  Island — A  Storm — Anson's  Ship 
driven  out  to  Sea — The  Abandoned  Crew  set  about  building  a  Boat — Return 
of  the  Centurion — Battle  with  the  Manilla  Galleon — Anson's  Arrival  in  Eng 
land—The  Proceeds  of  the  Cruise.  ..  ..  374 


10  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XLI. — The  First  Scientific  Voyage  of  Circumnavigation— The  Dol 
phin  and  Tamar — Byron  in  Patagonia — Falkland  Islands — Islands  of  Disap 
pointment — Arrival  at  Tinian — Byron  versus  Anson — The  Voyage  Home — 
Wallis  and  Carteret — Their  Observations  in  Patagonia — Wallis  at  Tahiti — 
A  Desperate  Battle — Nails  lose  their  Value — A  Tahitian  Romance — Pitcairn'a 
Island  —  Queen  Charlotte's  Islands  —  New  Britain  —  The  Voyage  Home  — 
A  Man-of-War  Destroyed  by  Fire 391 

CHAPTER  XLII. — Colonization  of  the  Falkland  Islands — Antoine  de  Bougain 
ville — His  Voyage  around  the  World — Adventure  at  Montevideo— The  Pata- 
gonians — Taking  Possession  of  Tahiti — French  Gallantry — Ceremonies  of 
Reception — Sojourn  at  the  Island — Aotourou — The  First  Female  Circumnavi 
gator — Famine  on  Board — Remarkable  Cascade — Arrival  at  the  Moluccas — 
Incidents  there — Return  Home 407 

CHAPTER  XLIIL— Expedition  despatched  at  the  Instance  of  the  Royal  So 
ciety — Lieutenant  James  Cook — Incidents  of  the  Voyage — A  Night  on  Shore 
in  Terra  del  Fuego — Arrival  at  Tahiti — The  Natives  pick  their  Pockets— The 
Observatory — A  Native  chews  a  Quid  of  Tobacco — The  Transit  of  Venus — 
Two  of  the  Marines  take  unto  themselves  Wives — New  Zealand — Adventures 
there  —  Remarkable  War-Canoe  —  Cannibalism  demonstrated  —  Theory  of  a 
Southern  Continent  subverted — New  Holland — Botany  Bay — The  Endeavor 
on  the  Rocks  —  Expedient  to  stop  the  Leak  —  A  Conflagration  —  Passage 
through  a  Reef — Arrival  at  Batavia — Mortality  on  the  Voyage  Home — Cook 
promoted  to  the  Rank  of  Commander 416 

CHAPTER  XLIV.— Cook's  Second  Voyage— A  Storm— Separation  of  the  Ships 
— Aurora  Australis — New  Zealand — Six  Water-Spouts  at  once — Tahiti  again 
—Petty  Thefts  of  the  Natives — Cook  visits  the  Tahitian  Theatre — Omai — 
Arrival  at  the  Friendly  Islands — The  Fleet  witness  a  Feast  of  Human  Flesh 
— The  New  Hebrides  —  New  Caledonia — Return  Home  —  Honors  bestowed 
upon  Cook 432 

CHAPTER  XLV.— Cook's  Third  Voyage— The  Northwest  Passage— Omai— His 
Reception  at  Home — The  Crew  forego  their  Grog — Discovery  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands — Nootka  Sound — The  Natives — Cape  Prince  of  Wales — Two  Conti 
nents  in  Sight — Icy  Cape — Return  to  the  Sandwich  Islands — Cook  is  deified 
— Interview  with  Tereoboo — Subsequent  Difficulties — A  Skirmish — Pitched 
Battle  and  Death  of  Cook — Recovery  of  a  Portion  of  his  Remains — Funeral 
Ceremonies — Life  and  Services  of  Cook 441 

CHAPTER  XLVL— Louis  XVI.  and  the  Science  of  Navigation— Voyage  of 
Laperouse — Arrival  at  Easter  Island— Address  of  the  Natives — Owhyhee — 
Trade  at  Mowee — Survey  of  the  American  Coast — A  Remarkable  Inlet— Dis 
tressing  Calamity  —  Sojourn  at  Monterey — Run  across  the  Pacific  —  The 
Japanese  Waters — Arrival  at  Petropaulowski — Affray  at  Navigators'  Isles — 
Lap6rouse  arrives  at  Botany  Bay.  and  is  never  seen  again,  alive  or  dead — 
Voyages  made  in  Search  of  him — D'Entrecasteaux — Dillon — D'Urville — Dis 
covery  of  numerous  Relics  of  the  Ships  at  Manicolo — Theory  of  the  Fate  of 
Lnporouse — Erection  of  a  Monument  to  his  Memory 453 

CHAPTER  XLVIL— The  Transplantation  of  the  Bread-Fruit  Tree— The  Voyage 
of  the  Bounty — A  Mutiny — Bligh,  the  Captain,  with  Eighteen  Men,  cast  adrift 
in  the  Launch — Incidents  of  the  Voyage  from  Tahiti  to  Timor — Terrible 


CONTENTS.  11 

PAGE 

Sufferings  and  a  Marvellous  Escape — Arrival  of  the  Mutineers  at  Tahiti — 
Their  Removal  to  Pitcairn's  Island — Subsequent  History — Voyage  of  Van 
couver — Algerine  Piracy — Burning  of  the  Philadelphia — Proud  Position  of 
the  United  States 469 

CHAPTER  XLVIIL— Application  of  Steam  to  Navigation— Robert  Fulton- 
Chancellor  Livingston — Launch  of  the  Clermont — She  crosses  the  Hudson 
River — Her  Voyage  to  Albany — Description  of  the  Scene — Fulton's  own  Ac 
count — Legislative  Protection  granted  to  Fulton — The  Pendulum-Engine — 
Construction  of  other  Steamboats — The  Steam-Frigate  Fulton  the  First — The 
First  Ocean- Steamer,  the  Savannah — Account  of  her  Voyage — Misapprehen 
sions  upon  the  Subject 484 

-      SECTION  VI. 

FROM    THE    APPLICATION   OF    STEAM    TO   NAVIGATION    TO   THE    LAVING   OF 
THE   ATLANTIC   CABLE:    1807-1858. 

CHAPTER  XLIX. — Arctic  Explorations — Russian  Researches  under  Krusen- 
stern  and  Kotzebue — Freycinet — Ross — The  Crimson  Cliffs — Lancaster  Sound 
— Buchan  and  Franklin — Parry — The  Polar  Sea — Winter  Quarters — Return 
Home — Duperrey — Episodes  in  the  Whale-Fishery — Parry's  Polar  Voyage — 
Boat-Sledges — Method  of  Travel — Disheartening  Discovery — 82°  43'  North...  495 

CHAPTER  L.— Ross's  Second  Voyage— The  North  Magnetic  Pole— D'Urville— 
Enderby's  Land — Back's  Voyage  in  the  Terror — The  Great  Western  and  Sirius 
— United  States'  Exploring  Expedition — The  Antarctic  Continent — Sir  John 
Franklin's  Last  Voyage  in  the  Erebus  and  Terror — Efforts  made  to  relieve 
him — Discovery  of  the  Scene  of  his  First  Winter  Quarters — The  Grinnell  Ex 
pedition — The  Advance  and  Rescue — Lieutenfint  de  Haven — Dr.  Kane — Return 
of  the  Expedition 508 

CHAPTER  LI.— Kennedy's  Expedition— Sir  Edward  Belcher— McClure— Dis 
covery  of  the  Northwest  Passage — Junction  of  McClure  and  Kellett — Episode 
of  the  Resolute — Commodore  Perry's  Expedition — Decisive  Traces  of  the  Fate 
of  Sir  John  Franklin — The  Leviathan 525 

CHAPTER  LIL— The  Second  Grinnell  Expedition— The  Advance  in  Winter 
Quarters — Total  Darkness — Sledge-Parties — Adventures — The  First  Death — 
Tennyson's  Monument — Humboldt  Glacier — The  Open  Polar  Sea — Second 
Winter — Abandonment  of  the  Brig — The  Water  again — Upernavik — Rescue 
by  Captain  Hartstene — Death  and  Services  of  Dr.  Kane — Attempt  to  lay  the 
Atlantic  Cable 532 

CHAPTER  LIII.— Second  and  Third  Attempts  to  lay  the  Atlantic  Cable— The 
Failure  in  the  Month  of  June — Description  of  the  Cable — The  Voyage  of  the 
Niagara — The  Continuity — All  Right  again — Change  from  one  Coil  to  An 
other — The  Knights  of  the  Black  Hand — Unfavorable  Symptoms — The  Insu 
lation  broken — The  Third  of  August — An  Anxious  Moment — Land  discovered 
— Trinity  Bay — Mr.  Field  visits  the  Telegraph  Station — The  Operators  taken 
by  Surprise — Landing  of  the  Cable — Impressive  Ceremony — Captain  Hud 
son  returns  Thanks  to  Heaven — The  Voyage  of  the  Agamemnon — The  Queen's 
Message — The  Sixteenth  of  August — Deep-Sea  Telegraphing — The  Equator 
and  the  Cable — Conclusion ..  545 


LIST   OF   SEPARATE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE  SPECTRE  OF  THE  CAPE Frontispiece. 

PROGRESS  or  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION Title. 

THE  DELUGE  AXD  THE  ARK To  face  p.  29 

THE  PTOLEMY  PHILOPATOR 64 

THE  DOGE  OF  VENICE  WEDDING  THK  ADRIATIC 86 

THE  FLEET  OF  COLUMBUS 137 

THE  NINA  HOMEWARD  BOUND 147 

RECEPTION  OF  COLUMBUS  BY  FERDINAND  AND  ISABELLA.  151 

DA  GAMA'S  FLAG-SHIP 191 

BALBOA  TAKING  POSSESSION  OF  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN 206 

SCENE  ON  THE  CANADIAN  COAST 230 

HENRY  VIII.  EMBARKING  AT  DOVEK 238 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH  KNIGHTING  DRAKE 256 

CONFLICT  BETWEEN  THE  DUTCH  AND  SPANISH  FLEETS 312 

EMBARKATION  OF  THE  PILGRIMS  AT  DELFTHAVEN 321 

MIRAGE  AT  BEHRING'S  STRAITS 373 

RECEPTION  OF  COOK  AT  THE  FRIENDLY  ISLANDS 437 

OMAI : 444 

DEATH  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 453 

LAP^ROUSE'S  DISASTER  AT  FRENCHPORT 462 

BURNING  OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA 482 

THE  WHALE  OF  CAPTAIN  DEBLOIS 505 

THE  LEVIATHAN 531 

THE  TELEGRAPHIC  FLEET 541 

THE  TELEGRAPHIC  PLATEAU ..   55J 


THE  HAND  OF  SATAN  UPON  THE  SEA  OF  DARKNESS. 


MAN  UPON  THE  SEA, 


FROM    THE    EARLIEST    TIMES    TO    THE    COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PURPOSE  OP  THIS  WORK  —  THE  OCEAN  IN  THE  SCRIPTURAL  PERIOD  —  THE 
MARVELS  OF  THE  SEA  -  THE  CLASSIC  LEGENDS  —  THE  FANTASTIC  NOTIONS 
ENTERTAINED  OF  THE  NORTH  AND  THE  EQUATOR  -  THE  GIANT  OF  THE  CANA 
RIES  —  THE  SEA  OF  SEA-WEED  —  THE  SPECTRE  OF  THE  CAPE  —  THE  GRADUAL 
SURRENDER  OF  THE  SECRETS  OF  THE  SEA  —  IT  BECOMES  THE  HIGHWAY  OF 
NATIONS  —  ITS  PRESENT  ASPECT  —  ITS  POETICAL  SIGNIFICANCE  -  ITS  MORAL 
LESSONS. 

A  HISTORY  of  the  ocean  from  the  Flood  to  the  Atlantic  Tele 
graph,  with  a  parallel  sketch  of  shipbuilding  from  the  Ark  to 
the  Leviathan  ;  a  narrative  of  the  rise  of  commerce,  from 
the  days  when  Solomon's  ships  traded  with  Ophir,  to  the  time 
when  an  American  squadron  forced  the  gates  of  Japan  ;  a  con 

secutive  chronicle  of  the  progress  of  navigation,  from  the  day 

13 


14  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

when  the  timid  mariner  hugged  the  coast  by  day  and  prudently 
cast  anchor  by  night,  to  the  time  when  the  steamship,  appa 
rently  endowed  with  reason,  or  at  least  guided  by  instinct,  seems 
almost  to  dispense  with  the  aid  of  man, — such  a  theme  seems 
to  offer  topics  of  interest  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  in 
any  other  subject.  The  reader  will  readily  perceive  its  scope 
when  we  have  briefly  rehearsed  what  the  sea  once  was  to  man, 
and  what  it  now  is, — the  purpose  of  the  work  being  to  narrate 
how  from  the  one  it  has  become  the  other. 

In  early  times,  in  the  scriptural  and  classic  periods,  the  great 
oceans  were  unknown.  Mankind — at  least  that  portion  whose 
history  has  descended  to  us — dwelt  upon  the  borders  of  an  in 
land,  mediterranean  sea.  They  had  never  heard  of  such 
an  expanse  of  water  as  the  Atlantic,  and  certainly  had  never 
seen  it.  The  land-locked  sheet  which  lay  spread  out  at  their 
feet  was  at  all  times  full  of  mystery,  and  often  even  of  dread 
and  secret  misgiving.  Those  who  ventured  forth  upon  its 
bosom  came  home  and  told  marvellous  tales  of  the  sights  they 
had  seen  and  the  perils  they  had  endured.  Homer's  heroes 
returned  to  Ithaca  with  the  music  of  the  sirens  in  their  ears  and 
the  cruelties  of  the  giants  upon  their  lips.  The  Argonauts  saw 
whirling  rocks  implanted  in  the  sea,  to  warn  and  repel  the 
approaching  navigator ;  and,  as  if  the  mystery  of  the  waters  had 
tinged  with  fable  even  the  dry  land  beyond  it,  they  filled  the 
Caucasus  with  wild  stories  of  enchantresses,  of  bulls  that  breathed 
fire,  and  of  a  race  of  men  that  sprang,  like  a  ripened  harvest, 
from  the  prolific  soil.  If  the  ancients  were  ignorant  of  the 
shape  of  the  earth,  it  was  for  the  very  reason  that  they  were 
ignorant  of  the  ocean.  Their  geographers  and  philosophers, 
whose  observations  were  confined  to  fragments  of  Europe,  Asia, 
and  Africa,  alternately  made  the  world  a  cylinder,  a  flat  sur 
face  begirt  by  water,  a  drum,  a  boat,  a  disk.  The  legends 
that  sprang  from  these  confused  and  contradictory  notions  made 
the  land  a  scene  of  marvels  and  the  water  an  abode  of  terrors. 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  15 

At  a  later  period,  when,  with  the  progress  of  time,  the  love 
of  adventure  or  the  needs  of  commerce  had  drawn  the  navigator 
from  the  Mediterranean  through  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  into 
the  Atlantic,  and  when  some  conception  of  the  immensity  of  the 
waters  had  forced  itself  upon  minds  dwarfed  by  the  contracted 
limits  of  the  inland  sea,  then  the  ocean  became  in  good  earnest 
a  receptacle  of  gloomy  and  appalling  horrors,  and  the  marvels 
narrated  by  those  fortunate  enough  to  return  told  how  deeply 
the  imagination  had  been  stirred  by  the  new  scenes  opened  to 
their  vision.  Pytheas,  who  coasted  from  Marseilles  to  the 
Shetland  Isles,  and  who  there  obtained  a  glance  at  the  bleak 
and  wintry  desolation  of  the  North  Sea,  declared,  on  reaching 
home,  that  his  further  progress  was  barred  by  an  immense  black 
mollusk,  which  hung  suspended  in  the  air,  and  in  which  a  ship 
would  be  inextricably  involved,  and  where  no  man  could  breathe. 
The  menaces  of  the  South  were  even  more  appalling  than  the 
perils  of  the  North;  for  he  who  should  venture,  it  was  said, 
across  the  equator  into  the  regions  of  the  Sun,  would  be 
changed  into  a  negro  for  his  rashness:  besides,  in  the  popular 
belief,  the  waters  there  were  not  navigable.  Upon  the  quaint 
charts  of  the  Middle  Ages,  a  giant  located  upon  the  Canary 
Islands  forbade  all  farther  venture  westward,  by  brandishing  his 
formidable  club  in  the  path  of  all  vessels  coming  from  the  east. 
Upon  these  singular  maps  the  concealed  and  treacherous  horrors 
of  the  deep  were  displayed  in  the  grotesque  shapes  of  sea- 
monsters  and  distorted  water-unicorns,  which  were  represented 
as  careering  through  space  and  waylaying  the  navigator. 
Even  in  the  time  of  Columbus,  and  when  the  introduction  of 
the  compass  into  European  ships  should  have  somewhat  dimi 
nished  the  fantastic  terrors  of  the  sea,  we  find  that  the  Arabians, 
the  best  geographers  of  the  time,  represented  the  bony  and 
gnarled  hand  of  Satan  as  rising  from  the  waves  of  the  Sea  of 
Darkness, — as  the  Atlantic  was  then  called, — ready  to  seize  and 
engulf  the  presumptuous  mariner.  The  sailors  of  Columbus, 


lli  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

on  reaching  the  Sargasso  Sea,  where  the  collected  weeds  offered 
an  impediment  to  their  progress,  thought  they  had  arrived  at 
the  limit  of  navigation  and  the  end  of  the  world.  Five  years 
later,  the  crew  of  da  Gama,  on  douhling  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  imagined  they  saw,  in  the  threatening  clouds  that  gathered 
about  Table  Rock,  the  form  of  a  spectre  waving  off  their  vessel 
and  crying  woe  to  all  who  should  thus  invade  his  dread  dominion. 
The  Neptune  of  the  classics,  in  short,  who  disported  himself  in 
the  narrow  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  of  whose  wrath 
we  have  read  the  famous  mythologic  accounts,  was  a  deity 
altogether  bland  and  debonnaire  compared  to  the  gloomy  and 
revengeful  monopolist  of  the  seas,  such  as  the  historians  and 
geographers  of  the  Middle  Ages  painted  him. 

And  now  Columbus  had  discovered  the  Western  Continent, 
da  Gama  had  found  an  ocean  route  to  the  Indies,  and  Magellan, 
sailing  around  the  world,  had  proved  its  sphericity  and  approached 
the  Spice  Islands  from  the  east.  For  centuries,  now,  the  two 
great  oceans  were  the  scenes  of  grand  and  useful  maritime 
expeditions.  The  tropical  islands  of  the  Pacific  arose,  one  by 
one,  from  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  to  reward  the  navigator  or 
relieve  the  outcast.  The  Spanish,  by  dint  of  cruelty  and 
rapacity,  filled  their  famous  Manilla  galleons  and  Acapulco 
treasure-ships  with  the  spoils  of  warfare  and  the  legitimate 
fruits  of  trade.  The  English,  seeking  to  annoy  a  nation  with 
whom,  though  not  at  war,  they  were  certainly  not  at  peace, 
sent  against  their  golden  fleets  the  piratical  squadrons  of  Anson, 
Drake,  and  Hawkins.  For  years  property  was  not  safe  upon  the 
sea,  and  trading-ships  went  armed,  while  the  armed  vessels  of 
nations  turned  buccaneers.  The  Portuguese  and  Dutch  colonized 
the  coasts  and  islands  of  India,  Spain  sent  Cortez  and  Pizarro 
to  Mexico  and  Peru,  and  England  drove  the  Puritans  across  a 
stormy  sea  to  Plymouth.  Commerce  was  spread  over  the  world, 
and  Civilization  and  Christianity  were  introduced  into  the 
desert  and  the  wilderness.  Two  centuries  more,  and  steam 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  17 

made  the  Atlantic  Ocean  a  ferry-transit,  and  the  electric  tele 
graph  has  now  made  its  three  thousand  miles  of  salt  water  but 
as  one  link  in  that  girdle  which  Shakspeare  foresaw  and  which 
Puck  promised  to  perform.  The  cable  is  complete  and  in 
working-order  from  New  Orleans  to  Sebastopol. 

Having  thus  rapidly  described  what  the  ocean  once  was  in 
man's  estimation,  and  having  cursorily  traced  the  steps  by 
which  it  has  taken  its  place  in  the  world's  economy,  it  remains 
for  us  to  say  what  the  ocean  now  is,  and  what  place  it  now 
holds.  It  is  the  peaceful  Highway  of  Nations, — a  higlrway  with 
out  tax  or  toll.  Were  the  noble  idea  of  the  late  Secretary  Marcy 
adopted  by  all  nations,  private  property  upon  the  sea  would  be 
sacred  even  in  time  of  war.  If  the  distances  be  considered, 
the  sea  is  the  safest  and  most  commodious  route  from  spot  to 
spot,  whether  for  merchandise  or  man.  It  has  given  up  its 
secrets,  with  perhaps  the  single  exception  of  its  depth,  and,  like 
the  lightning  and  the  thunderbolt,  has  submitted  to  the  yoke. 
Though  still  sublime  in  its  immensity  and  its  power,  it  has  lost 
those  features  of  character  which  once  made  it  mysterious  and 
fantastic,  and  has  become  the  sober  and  humdrum  pathway  of 
traffic.  Mail-routes  are  as  distinctly  marked  upon  its  surface  as 
the  equator,  or  the  meridian  of  Greenwich :  steamships  leave 
their  docks  punctually  at  the  stroke  of  noon.  The  monsters 
that  plough  its  waters  have  been  hunted  by  man  till  the  race  is 
well  nigh  exhausted ;  for  the  leviathan  which  frightened  the 
ancients  is  the  whale  which  has  illuminated  the  moderns.  The 
chant  of  the  sirens  is  hushed,  and  in  its  place  are  heard  the 
clatter  of  rushing  paddle-wheels,  the  fog-whistle  on  the  banks,  the 
song  of  the  forecastle,  the  yo-ho  of  sailors  toiling  at  the  ropes, 
the  salute  in  mid-ocean, — sometimes — alas  ! — the  minute-gun  at 
sea.  The  romance  and  fable  that  once  had  here  their  chosen 
home,  have  fled  to  the  caves  and  taken  refuge  amid  the  grottos ; 
and  the  legends  that  were  lately  told  of  the  ocean  would  now 
be  out  of  place  even  in  a  graveyard  or  a  haunted  house. 


18  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

The  sailor,  to  whom  once  the  route  was  trackless  and  un 
trodden,  now  consults  a  volume  of  charts  which  he  has  obtained 
from  the  National  Observatory,  and  finds  his  course  laid  out 
upon  data  derived  from  analogy  and  oft-repeated  experience. 
He  takes  this  or  that  direction  in  accordance  with  known  facts 
of  the  prevalence  of  winds  or  the  motion  of  currents.  He 
keeps  a  record  of  his  own  experience,  that  in  its  turn  it  may 
be  useful  to  others.  He  has  plans  and  surveys  which  give  him 
the  bearings  of  every  port,  the  indentations  of  every  coast,  the 
soundings  .of  every  pass.  Beacons  warn  him  of  reefs  and 
sunken  rocks,  and  buoys  mark  out  his  course  through  the  shal 
lows  of  sounds  and  straits.  A  modern  light-house  costs  a  million 
dollars,  and  a  breakwater  involves  the  finances  of  a  state.  If  a 
new  light-house  is  erected,  or  is  the  warning  lamp  for  any  reason 
discontinued,  upon  any  coast,  the  fact  is  made  known  to  the 
commerce  of  all  nations  by  a  "Notice  to  Mariners,"  inserted  in 
the  marine  department  of  the  newspapers  most  likely  to  meet 
their  eye.  A  vessel  at  sea  is  safer  from  spoliation  than  is  the 
traveller  upon  the  high  road  or  the  sojourner  in  a  city ;  for 
there  are  robbers  and  depredators  everywhere  upon  the  land, 
while  there  is  not  a  pirate  on  the  ocean.  There  are  well-laden 
treasure-ships  in  the  Panama  and  California  waters,  as  in  the 
times  of  Drake  and  Anson ;  but  the  world  is  much  older  than  it 
was,  and  buccaneers  and  flibustiers  now  only  infest  the  land. 

In  short,  the  ocean,  once  a  formidable  and  repellant  element, 
now  furnishes  Christian  food  and  healthful  employment  to 
millions.  Instead  of  serving  to  affright  and  appall  the  dwellers 
upon  the  continents  which  it  surrounds,  it  renders  their  atmo 
sphere  more  respirable,  it  affords  them  safe  conveyance,  and 
raises  for  them  a  school  of  heroes.  The  ocean,  then,  has  a 
history :  it  has  a  past  worth  narrating,  adventures  worth  telling, 
and  it  has  played  a  part  in  the  advancement  of  science,  in  the 
extension  of  geographical  knowledge,  in  the  spread  of  civiliza 
tion  and  the  progress  of  discovery,  which  it  is  eminently  worth 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  19 

our  while  to  ponder  and  digest.  Its  gradual  submission  to  in 
vasion  from  the  land,  its  successive  surrender  of  the  islands  in 
the  tropics  and  the  ice-mountains  at  the  poles,  its  slow  but 
certain  release  of  its  secrets,  its  final  abandonment  of  its  ex- 
clusiveness,  form — with  a  multitude  of  attendant  incidents,  acci 
dents,  battles,  disasters,  shipwrecks,  famines,  robberies,  mutinies, 
piracies — the  theme  and  purpose  of  these  pages. 

Although  the  ocean  has  lost  its  terrors  and  has  given  up  its 
dominion  of  dread  over  the  mind  of  man,  it  is  still  poetic,  and 
has  been  often  made  to  assume  a  profound  moral  significance 
and  furnish  apt  religious  illustrations.  In  this  connection,  we 
cannot  do  better  than  to  quote,  from  Dr.  Greenwood's  "Poetry 
and  Mystery  of  the  Sea,"  a  passage  which  strongly  and  beauti 
fully  enforces  this  view : — 

"'The  sea  is  his,  and  He  made  it,'  cries  the  Psalmist  of 
Israel,  in  one  of  those  bursts  of  enthusiasm  in  which  he  so 
often  expresses  the  whole  of  a  vast  subject  by  a  few  simple 
words.  Whose  else,  indeed,  could  it  be,  and  by  whom  else  could 
it  have  been  made  ?  Who  else  can  heave  its  tides  and  appoint 
its  bounds  ?  Who  else  can  urge  its  mighty  waves  to  madness 
with  the  breath  and  wings  of  the  tempest,  and  then  speak  to  it 
again  in  a  master's  accents  and  bid  it  be  still  ?  Who  else  could 
have  peopled  it  with  its  countless  inhabitants,  and  caused  it  to 
bring  forth  its  various  productions,  and  filled  it  from  its  deepest 
bed  to  its  expanded  surface,  filled  it  from  its  centre  to  its  re 
motest  shores,  filled  it  to  the  brim  with  beauty  and  mystery  and 
power  ?  Majestic  Ocean !  Glorious  Sea !  No  created  being 
rules  thee  or  made  thee. 

"What  is  there  more  sublime  than  the  trackless,  desert,  all- 
surrounding,  unfathomable  sea?  What  is  there  more  peacefully 
sublime  than  the  calm,  gently-heaving,  silent  sea?  What  is 
there  more  terribly  sublime  than  the  angry,  dashing,  foaming 
sea?  Power — resistless,  overwhelming  power — is  its  attribute 
and  its  expression,  whether  in  the  careless,  conscious  grandeur 


•20  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

of  its  deep  rest,  or  the  wild  tumult  of  its  excited  wrath.  It  is 
awful  when  its  crested  waves  rise  up  to  make  a  compact  with 
the  black  clouds  and  the  howling  winds,  and  the  thunder  and 
the  thunderbolt,  and  they  sweep  on,  in  the  joy  of  their  dread 
alliance,  to  do  the  Almighty's  bidding.  And  it  is  awful,  too, 
when  it  stretches  its  broad  level  out  to  meet  in  quiet  union  the 
bended  sky,  and  show  in  the  line  of  meeting  the  vast  rotundity 
of  the  world.  There  is  majesty  in  its  wide  expanse,  separating 
and  enclosing  the  great  continents  of  the  earth,  occupying  two- 
thirds  of  the  whole  surface  of  the  globe,  penetrating  the  land 
with  its  bays  and  secondary  seas,  and  receiving  the  constantly- 
pouring  tribute  of  every  river,  of  every  shore.  There  is 
majesty  in  its  fulness,  never  diminishing  and  never  increasing. 
There  is  majesty  in  its  integrity, — for  its  whole  vast  substance  is 
uniform  in  its  local  unity,  for  there  is  but  one  ocean,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  any  one  maritime  spot  may  visit  the  inhabitants 
of  any  other  in  the  wide  world.  Its  depth  is  sublime :  who  can 
sound  it?  Its  strength  is  sublime:  what  fabric  of  man  can 
resist  it?  Its  voice  is  sublime,  whether  in  the  prolonged 
song  of  its  ripple  or  the  stern  music  of  its  roar, — whether  it 
utters  its  hollow  and  melancholy  tones  within  a  labyrinth  of 
wave-worn  caves,  or  thunders  at  the  base  of  some  huge  promon 
tory,  or  beats  against  a  toiling  vessel's  sides,  lulling  the  voyager 
to  rest  with  the  strains  of  its  wild  monotony,  or  dies  away,  with 
the  calm  and  fading  twilight,  in  gentle  murmurs  on  some 
sheltered  shore. 

"The  sea  possesses  Jbeauty,  in  richness,  of  its  own;  it  borrows 
it  from  earth,  and  air,  and  heaven.  The  clouds  lend  it  the 
various  dyes  of  their  wardrobe,  and  throw  down  upon  it  the 
broad  masses  of  their  shadows  as  they  go  sailing  and  sweeping 
by.  The  rainbow  laves  in  it  its  many-colored  feet.  The  sun 
loves  to  visit  it,  and  the  moon  and  the  glittering  brotherhood  of 
planets  and  stars,  for  they  delight  themselves  in  its  beauty. 
The  sunbeams  return  from  it  in  showers  of  diamonds  and 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  21 

glances  of  fire ;  the  moonbeams  find  in  it  a  pathway  of  silver, 
where  they  dance  to  and  fro,  with  the  breezes  and  the  waves, 
through  the  livelong  night.  It  has  a  light,  too,  of  its  own, — a 
soft  and  sparkling  light,  rivaling  the  stars;  and  often  does  the 
ship  which  cuts  its  surface  leave  streaming  behind  a  Milky  Way 
of  dim  and  uncertain  lustre,  like  that  which  is  shining  dimly 
above.  It  harmonizes  in  its  forms  and  sounds  both  with  the 
night  and  the  day.  It  cheerfully  reflects  the  light,  and  it  unites 
solemnly  with  the  darkness.  It  imparts  sweetness  to  the  music 
of  men,  and  grandeur  to  the  thunder  of  heaven.  What  land 
scape  is  so  beautiful  as  one  upon  the  borders  of  the  sea  ?  The 
spirit  of  its  loveliness  is  from  the  waters  where  it  dwells  and 
rests,  singing  its  spells  and  scattering  its  charms  on  all  the 
coasts.  What  rocks  and  cliffs  are  so  glorious  as  those  which 
are  washed  by  the  chafing  sea?  What  groves  and  fields  and 
dwellings  are  so  enchanting  as  those  which  stand  by  the  reflect 
ing  sea  ? 

"If  we  could  see  the  great  ocean  as  it  can  be  seen  by  no 
mortal  eye,  beholding  at  one  view  what  we  are  now  obliged  to 
visit  in  detail  and  spot  by  spot, — if  we  could,  from  a  flight  far 
higher  than  the  eagle's,  view  the  immense  surface  of  the  deep 
all  spread  out  beneath  us  like  a  universal  chart, — what  an  in 
finite  variety  such  a  scene  would  display  !  Here  a  storm  would 
be  raging,  the  thunder  bursting,  the  waters  boiling,  and  rain 
and  foam  and  fire  all  mingling  together;  and  here,  next  to  this 
scene  of  magnificent  confusion,  we  should  see  the  bright  blue 
waves  glittering  in  the  sun  and  clapping  their  hands  for  very 
gladness.  Here  we  should  see  a  cluster  of  green  islands  set 
like  jewels  in  the  bosom  of  the  sea;  and  there  we  should  see 
broad  shoals  and  gray  rocks,  fretting  the  billows  and  threaten 
ing  the  mariner.  Here  we  should  discern  a  ship  propelled  by 
the  steady  wind  of  the  tropics,  and  inhaling  the  almost  visible 
odors  which  diffuse  themselves  around  the  Spice  Islands  of  the 
East ;  there  we  should  behold  a  vessel  piercing  the  cold  barrier 


22  MAN   UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  the  North,  struggling  among  hills  and  fields  of  ice,  and  contend 
ing  with  Winter  in  his  own  everlasting  dominion.  Nor  are  the 
ships  of  man  the  only  travellers  we  shall  perceive  upon  this 
mighty  map  of  the  ocean.  Flocks  of  sea-birds  are  passing  and 
repassing,  diving  for  their  food  or  for  pastime,  migrating  from 
shore  to  shore  with  unwearied  wing  and  undeviating  instinct, 
or  wheeling  and  swarming  around  the  rocks  which  they  make 
alive  and  vocal  by  their  numbers  and  their  clanging  cries. 

"  We  shall  behold  new  wonders  and  riches  when  we  investigate 
the  sea-shore.  We  shall  find  both  beauty  for  the  eye  and  food 
for  the  body,  in  the  varieties  of  shell-fish  which  adhere  in 
myriads  to  the  rocks  or  form  their  close  dark  burrows  in  the 
sands.  In  some  parts  of  the  world  we  shall  see  those  houses  of 
stone  which  the  little  coral-insect  rears  up  with  patient  in 
dustry  from  the  bottom  of  the  waters,  till  they  grow  into  for 
midable  rocks  and  broad  forests  whose  branches  never  wave 
and  whose  leaves  never  fall.  In  other  parts  we  shall  see  those 
pale,  glistening  pearls  which  adorn  the  crowns  of  princes  and 
are  woven  in  the  hair  of  beauty,  extorted  by  the  relentless 
grasp  of  man  from  the  hidden  stores  of  ocean.  And  spread 
round  every  coast  there  are  beds  of  flowers  and  thickets  of 
plants,  which  the  dew  does  not  nourish,  and  which  man  has  not 
sown,  nor  cultivated,  nor  reaped,  but  which  seem  to  belong  to 
the  floods  alone  and  the  denizens  of  the  floods,  until  they  are 
thrown  up  by  the  surges,  and  we  discover  that  even  the  dead 
spoils  of  the  fields  of  ocean  may  fertilize  and  enrich  the  fields 
of  earth.  They  have  a  life,  and  a  nourishment,  and  an  economy 
of  their  own ;  and  we  know  little  of  them,  except  that  they  are 
there,  in  their  briny  nurseries,  reared  up  into  luxuriance  by 
what  would  kill,  like  a  mortal  poison,  the  vegetation  of  the  land. 

"  There  is  mystery  in  the  sea. '  There  is  mystery  in  its  depths. 
It  is  unfathomed,  and,  perhaps,  unfathomable.  Who  can  tell, 
who  shall  know,  how  near  its  pits  run  down  to  the  central  core 
of  the  world?  Who  can  tell  what  wells,  what  fountains,  are 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  23 

there,  to  which  the  fountains  of  the  earth  are  but  drops  ?  Who 
shall  say  whence  the  ocean  derives  those  inexhaustible  supplies 
of  salt  which  so  impregnate  its  waters  that  all  the  rivers  of 
the  earth,  pouring  into  it  from  the  time  of  the  creation,  have 
not  been  able  to  freshen  them?  What  undescribed  monsters, 
what  unimaginable  shapes,  may  be  roving  in  the  profoundest 
places  of  the  sea,  never  seeking — and  perhaps,  from  their 
nature,  never  able  to  seek — the  upper  waters  and  expose  them 
selves  to  the  gaze  of  man !  What  glittering  riches,  what  heaps 
of  gold,  what  stores  of  gems,  there  must  be  scattered  in  lavish 
profusion  in  the  ocean's  lowest  bed !  What  spoils  from  all  cli 
mates,  what  works  of  art  from  all  lands,  have  been  engulfed 
by  the  insatiable  and  reckless  waves !  Who  shall  go  down  to 
examine  and  reclaim  this  uncounted  and  idle  wealth?  Who 
bears  the  keys  of  the  deep  ? 

"  And  oh !  yet  more  affecting  to  the  heart  and  mysterious  to 
the  mind,  what  companies  of  human  beings  are  locked  up  in 
that  wide,  weltering,  unsearchable  grave  of  the  sea  !  Where 
are  the  bodies  of  those  lost  ones  over  whom  the  melancholy 
waves  alone  have  been  chanting  requiem  ?  What  shrouds  were 
wrapped  round  the  limbs  of  beauty,  and  of  manhood,  and  of 
placid  infancy,  when  they  were  laid  on  the  dark  floor  of  that 
secret  tomb  ?  Where  are  the  bones,  the  relics,  of  the  brave  and 
the  timid,  the  good  and  the  bad,  the  parent,  the  child,  the  wife, 
the  husband,  the  brother,  the  sister,  the  lover,  which  have  been 
tossed  and  scattered  and  buried  by  the  washing,  wasting, 
wandering  sea  ?  The  journeying  winds  may  sigh  as  year  after 
year  they  pass  over  their  beds.  The  solitary  rain-cloud  may 
weep  in  darkness  over  the  mingled  remains  which  lie  strewed  in 
that  unwonted  cemetery.  But  who  shall  tell  the  bereaved  to 
what  spot  their  affections  may  cling  ?  And  where  shall  human 
tears  be  shed  throughout  that  solemn  sepulchre  ?  It  is  mystery 
all.  When  shall  it  be  resolved  ?  Who  shall  find  it  out  ?  Who 
but  He  to  whom  the  wildest  waves  listen  reverently,  and  to 


24  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

whom  all  nature  bows ;  He  who  shall  one  day  speak,  and  be 
heard  in  ocean's  profoundest  caves ;  to  whom  the  deep,  even  the 
lowest  deep,  shall  give  up  its  dead,  when  the  sun  shall  sicken, 
and  the  earth  and  the  isles  shall  languish,  and  the  heavens  be 
rolled  together  like  a  scroll,  and  there  shall  be  NO  MORE  SEA  !" 
It  now  remains  for  us  to  investigate  the  origin  of  navigation, 
as  preliminary  to  our  subject,  and  then  to  commence  the  task 
before  us  with  the  history  of  Noah,  the  first  seaman,  and  the 
Ark,  the  vessel  he  commanded. 


THE    FIRST    NAVIGATOR. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    ORIGIN    OP    NAVIGATION — THE     NAUTILUS THE     SPLIT     REED    AND    BEETLE — 

THE    BEAVER    FLOATING    UPON    A   LOG THE    HOLLOW    TREE THE    FIRST    CANOE 

THE    FLOATING    NUTSHELL THE     OAR THE    RUDDER THE    SAIL THE    TRA 
DITION    OF    THE    FIRST    SAIL-BOAT. 

THE  origin  of  navigation  is  unknown.  It  has  baffled  the  re 
search  of  antiquaries,  for  the  simple  reason  that  men  sailed 
upon  the  sea  before  they  committed  the  records  of  their  history 
to  paper,  or  that  such  records,  if  any  existed,  were  swept  away 
and  lost  in  the  periods  of  anarchy  which  succeeded.  Imagi 
nation  has  suggested  that  the  nautilus,  or  Portuguese  man-of- 
war,  raising  its  tiny  sail  and  floating  off  before  the  breeze,  first 
pointed  out  to  man  the  use  which  might  be  made  of  the  wind  as 
a  propelling  force ;  that  a  split  reed,  following  the  current  of 
some  tranquil  stream  and  transporting  a  beetle  over  its  glassy 
surface,  was  the  first  canoe,  while  the  beetle  was  the  first  sailor. 
Mythology  represents  Hercules  as  sailing  in  a  boat  formed  of 
the  hide  of  a  lion,  and  translates  ships  to  the  skies,  where  they 
still  figure  among  the  constellations.  Fable  makes  Atlas  claim 
the  invention  of  the  oar,  and  gives  to  Tiphys,  the  pilot  of  the 
Argo,  the  invention  of  the  rudder.  The  attributing  of  these 
discoveries  and  improvements  to  particular  individuals  doubt 
less  afforded  pastime  to  poets  in  ages  when  poetry  was  more 

25 


26  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

popular  than  history.  Instead  of  trusting  to  these  fanciful 
authorities,  we  may  form  a  very  rational  theory  upon  the  matter 
in  the  following  manner  : — 

"\Vhether  it  was  an  insect  that  floated  on  a  leaf  across  a 
rivulet  and  was  stranded  on  the  bank,  or  a  beaver  carried  down 
a  river  upon  a  log,  or  a  bear  borne  away  upon  an  iceberg,  that 
first  awakened  man  to  the  conception  of  trusting  himself 
fearlessly  upon  the  water,  it  is  highly  probable  that  he  learned 
from  animals,  whose  natural  element  it  is,  the  manner  of  sup 
porting  his  body  upon  it  and  of  forcing  his  way  through  it.  A 
frog  darting  away  from  the  rim  of  a  pond  and  striking  out  with 
his  fore-legs  may  have  suggested  swimming,  and  the  beaver 
floating  on  a  log  may  have  suggested  following  his  example. 
The  log  may  not  have  been  sufficiently  buoyant,  and  the  adven 
turer  may  have  added  to  its  buoyancy  by  using  his  arms  and 
legs.  Even  to  this  day  the  Indians  of  our  own  country  cross 
a  rapid  stream  by  clasping  the  trunk  of  a  tree  with  the  left  leg 
and  arm  and  propelling  themselves  with  the  right.  Thus  the 
first  step  was  taken ;  and  the  second  was  either  to  place  several 
logs  together,  thus  forming  a  raft,  and  raising  its  sides,  or  to 
make  use  of  a  tree  hollowed  out  by  nature.  Many  trees  grow 
hollow  naturally,  such  as  oaks,  limes,  beeches,  and  willows ;  and 
it  would  not  require  a  degree  of  adaptation  beyond  the  capacity 
of  a  savage,  to  fit  them  to  float  and  move  upon  the  water.  The 
next  step  was  probably  to  hollow  out  by  art  a  sound  log,  thus 
imitating  the  trunk  which  had  been  eroded  by  time  and  decay. 
And,  in  making  this  step  from  the  sound  to  the  hollow  log,  the 
primitive  mariners  may  have  been  assisted  by  observing  how  an 
empty  nut-shell  or  an  inverted  tortoise-shell  floated  upon  the 
water,  preserving  their  inner  surface  dry  and  protecting  such 
objects  as  their  size  enabled  them  to  carry.  It  has  been  aptly 
remarked  that  this  first  step  was  the  greatest  of  all, — "  for  the 
transition  from  the  hollow  tree  to  the  ship-of-the-line  is  not  so 
difficult  as  the  transition  from  nonentity  to  the  hollow  tree." 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  27 

The  first  object  for  obtaining  motion  upon  the  water  must 
evidently  have  been  to  enable  the  navigator  to  cross  a  river, — not 
to  ascend  or  descend  it;  as  it  is  apparent  he  would  not  seek  the 
means  of  following  or  stemming  its  current  while  the  same 
purpose  could  be  more  easily  served  by  walking  along  the  shore. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  suppose  that  the  oar  was  suggested  by  the 
legs  of  a  frog  or  the  fins  of  a  fish.  The  early  navigator,  seated 
in  his  hollow  tree,  might  at  first  seek  to  propel  himself  with  his 
hands,  and  might  then  artificially  lengthen  them  by  a  piece 
of  wood  fashioned  in  imitation  of  the  hand  and  arm, — a  long 
pole  terminating  in  a  thin  flat  blade.  Here  was  the  origin  of 
the  modern  row-boat,  one  of  the  most  graceful  inventions  of  man. 


From  the  oar  to  the  rudder  the  transition  was  easy,  for  the 
oar  is  in  itself  a  rudder,  and  was  for  a  long  time  used  as  one. 
It  must  have  been  observed  at  an  early  day  that  a  canoe  in 
motion  was  diverted  from  its  direct  course  by  plunging  an  oar 
into  the  water  and  suffering  it  to  remain  there.  It  must  have 
been  observed,  too,  that  an  oar  in  or  towards  the  stern  was  more 
effective  in  giving  a  new  direction  to  the  canoe  than  an  oar  in 
any  other  place.  It  was  a  natural  suggestion  of  prudence,  then, 
to  assign  this  duty  to  one  particular  oarsman,  and  to  place  him 
altogether  at  the  stern. 

The  sail  is  not  so  easily  accounted  for.  An  ancient  tradition 
relates  that  a  fisherman  and  his  sweetheart,  allured  from  the 
shore  in  the  hope  of  discovering  an  island,  and  surprised  by  a 
tempest,  were  in  imminent  danger  of  destruction.  Their  only  oar 


28  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

was  wrenched  from  the  grasp  of  the  fisherman,  and  the  frail 
bark  was  thus  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  The  maiden 
raised  her  white  veil  to  protect  herself  and  her  lover  from 
the  storm ;  the  wind,  inflating  this  fragile  garment,  impelled 
them  slowly  but  surely  towards  the  coast.  Their  aged  sire,  the 
tradition  continues,  suddenly  seized  with  prophetic  inspiration, 
exclaimed,  "  The  future  is  unfolded  to  my  view !  Art  is  ad 
vancing  to  perfection !  My  children,  you  have  discovered  a 
powerful  agent  in  navigation.  All  nations  will  cover  the  ocean 
with  their  fleets  and  wander  to  distant  regions.  Men,  differing 
in  their  manners  and  separated  by  seas,  will  disembark  upon 
peaceful  shores,  and  import  thence  foreign  science,  superfluities, 
and  art.  Then  shall  the  mariner  fearlessly  cruise  over  the 
immense  abyss  and  discover  new  lands  and  unknown  seas!" 
Though  we  may  admire  the  foresight  of  this  patriarch,  we 
cannot  applaud  him  for  choosing  a  moment  so  inopportune  for 
exercising  his  peculiar  gift :  it  would  certainly  have  been  more 
natural  to  afford  some  comfort  to  his  weather-beaten  children. 
The  legend  even  goes  on  to  state  that  he  at  once  fixed  a  pole 
in  the  middle  of  the  canoe,  and,  attaching  to  it  a  piece  of  cloth, 
invented  the  first  sail-boat.  Mythology  assigns  a  different, 
though  similar,  origin  to  the  invention : — Iris,  seeking  her  son 
in  a  bark  which  she  impelled  by  oars,  perceived  that  the  wind 
inflated  her  garments  and  gently  forced  her  in  the  direction  in 
which  she  was  going. 

No  research  would  bring  the  investigator  to  conclusions 
more  satisfactory  than  these.  The  fact  would  still  remain, 
that  the  first  mention  in  profane  history  of  constructions  moving 
upon  the  water,  is  many  centuries  subsequent  to  the  period 
in  which  the  idea  of  building  such  constructions  must  be  pre 
sumed  to  have  been  first  conceived.  It  would  consequently  be 
idle  to  devote  more  space  to  this  subject ;  and  we  proceed  at 
once,  therefore,  to  the  first  of  recorded  ventures  upon  the  sea. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE     FLOOD    AND    THE     BUILDING    OF    THE    ARK THE    ARGUMENTS    OF    INFIDELITY 

AGAINST    A     UNIVERSAL     DELUGE THE     MATERIAL     OF    WHICH     THE     ARK    WAS 

BUILT ITS    CAPACITY,    DIMENSIONS,    AND    FORM ITS    PROPORTIONS    COPIED    IN 

MODERN  OCEAN    STEAMERS. 

THE  earliest  mention  of  the  sea  made  in  history  occurs  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis.  During  the  period  of  chaos,  and  before 
the  creation  of  light,  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 
Upon  the  third  day  the  waters  under  the  heavens  were  gathered 
together  in  one  place  and  were  called  Seas ;  the  dry  land  appeared 
and  was  called  Earth.  The  waters  were  commanded  to  bring 
forth  abundantly  /the  moving  creature  that  hath  life;  and,  upon 
the  creation  of  man  in  the  image  of  God,  dominion  was  given  him 
over  the  fish  of1  the  sea,  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  every  creeping 
thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth. 

In  the  year  of  the  world  1556 — according  to  the  generally 
accepted  computation — God  determined  to  destroy  man  and  all 
creeping  things  and  the  fowls  of  the  air,  for  He  said,  "It 
repenteth  me  that  I  have  made  them."  Noah  alone  found 
grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  was  instructed  to  build  him 
an  ark  of  gopher-wood  three  hundred  cubits  in  length,  fifty 'in 
breadth,  and  thirty  in  height.  It  was  to  consist  of  three  stories, 
divided  into  rooms,  to  contain  one  door  and  one  window,  and 
was  to  be  smeared  within  and  without  with  pitch.  Noah  was 
engaged  one  hundred  years  in  constructing  the  ark, — from  the 

age  of  five  hundred  to  that  of  six  hundred  years, — and  when  it 

29 


30  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

was  fully  completed  he  gathered  his  family  into  it,  with  pairs  of 
all  living  creatures.  Then  were  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep 
broken  up  and  the  windows  of  heaven  opened.  The  rains  de 
scended  during  forty  days  and  forty  nights.  The  waters  arose 
and  lifted  up  the  ark  from  the  earth.  The  mountains  were  covered 
to  a  depth  of  twenty-two  feet,  and  all  flesh  died  that  moved 
upon  the  earth :  Noah  alone  remained  alive,  and  they  that  were 
with  him  in  the  ark. 

The  flood  commenced  in  the  second  month  of  Noah's  six 
hundredth  year.  During  five  months  the  waters  prevailed ;  in 
the  seventh  the  ark  rested  upon  the  summit  of  Mount  Ararat. 
In  the  tenth  month  the  tops  of  the  mountains  were  seen ;  in  the 
eleventh  Noah  sent  forth  a  dove,  which  speedily  returned,  hav 
ing  found  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  her  foot ;  on  the  seventeenth  day 
he  again  sent  forth  the  dove,  which  returned,  bringing  an  olive- 
leaf  in  her  bill,  and,  being  again  sent  forth,  returned  no  more. 
On  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  of  his  six  hundred  and  first 
year,  Noah  removed  the  covering  of  the  ark  and  saw  that  the  face 
of  the  ground  was  dry.  Toward  the  close  of  the  second  month 
the  earth  was  dried,  and  Noah  went  forth  with  Jiis  sons,  his  wife, 
and  his  sons'  wives.  He  built  an  altar  and  offered  burnt-offer 
ings  of  every  beast  and  fowl  to  the  Lord.  God  then  made  a 
promise  to  Noah  that  he  would  no  more  destroy  the  earth  by 
flood,  and  stretched  the  rainbow  in  the  clouds  in  token  of  this 
solemn  covenant  between  himself  and  the  children  of  men. 

Such  is  the  scriptural  history  of  the  Deluge, — the  first  great 
chronological  event  in  the  annals  of  the  world  after  the  Creation. 
The  investigations  of  philosophy  and  of  infidelity  into  the 
accuracy  of  the  Mosaic  account  have  resulted  in  furnishing 
confirmation  of  the  most  direct  and  positive  kind.  The  prin 
cipal  objections  of  cavillers  turn  upon  three  points:  1st,  the 
absence  of  any  concurrent  testimony  by  the  profane  writers  of 
antiquity;  2d,  the  apparent  impossibility  of  accounting  for 
the  quantity  of  water  necessary  to  overflow  the  whole  earth  to 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.    .  31 

the  depth  stated;  and,  3d,  the  needlessness  of  a  universal 
deluge,  as  the  same  purpose  might  have  been  answered  by  a 
partial  one.  These  objections  may  be  briefly  considered  here. 

1.  The  absence  of  positive  testimony  from  profane  historians. 
However  true  it  may  be  that  there  is  no  consecutive  account  of 
the  Deluge  except  that  given  in  the  Bible,  it  is  certain  that 
records   relating  to  the   ark   had   been   preserved    among   the 
early  nations  of  the  world  and  in  the  general  system  of  Gentile 
mythology.     Plutarch  mentions  the  dove  that  was  sent  forth 
from  the  ark.     The   Greek  fable  of  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha  is 
absolutely  the  same  as  the  scriptural  narrative  of  Noah  and  his 
wife.     The    Egyptians  carried  their  deity,  upon  occasions  of 
solemnity,  in  an  ark  or  boat,  and  this  ark  was  called   "Baris," 
from  the  name  of  a  mountain  upon  which,  doubtless,  in  their 
own  legend,  the  Egyptian  ark  had  rested,  as  did  the  scriptural 
ark    upon    Mount    Ararat.       The    Temple    of    Sesostris    was 
fashioned  after  the  model  of  the  ark,  and  was  consecrated  to 
Osiris  at   Theba.     This  name  of   Theba  given  to  a  city  is  an 
important   point,  for    Theba   was  the   appellation  of  the    ark 
itself.       The   same    name   was   borne   by   numerous    cities   in 
Boeotia,  Attica,  Ionia,  Syria,  and  Italy ;  and  the  city  of  Apa- 
mea,   in    Phrygia,   was   originally   called    Kibotos,   or  Ark,   in 
memory  of  the  Deluge.     This  fact  shows  that  the  tradition  of 
the  Deluge  was  preserved  in  Asia  Minor  from  a  very  remote 
antiquity.     In  India,   ancient   mythological   books   have  been 
shown  to  contain  fragmentary  accounts  of  some  great  overflow 
corresponding  in  a  remarkable  degree  with  that  given  by  Moses. 
The  Africans,  the   Chinese,  and  the  American   Indians  even, 
have  traditions  of  a  flood  in  the  early  annals  of  the  world,  and 
of  the  preservation  of  the  human  race  and  of  animated  nature 
by  means  of  an  ark.     It  is  impossible  to  account  for  the  univer 
sality  of  this  legend,  unless  the  fact  of  the  Deluge  be  admitted. 

2.  The  apparent  material    impossibility  of  producing  water 
in  sufficient    quantity  to   overflow  the  earth.     The  means  by 


32  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

which  the  flood  was  produced  are  stated  in  the  Mosaic  narrative : 
the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  broken  up,  and  the  windows 
of  heaven  were  opened ;  that  is,  the  water  rushed  out  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  where  it  had  been  confined,  and  the  clouds 
poured  forth  their  rains.  This  would  seem  to  be  a  sufficient 
explanation,  if  any  explanation  of  an  event  clearly  miraculous 
and  supernatural  be  necessary  at  all.  It  has  been  discovered, 
however,  that  the  Deluge  might  have  been  caused,  and  might  at 
any  time  be  repeated,  by  a  very  simple  process.  It  has  been 
demonstrated  that  the  various  seas  and  oceans  which  invest  the 
two  principal  hemispheres,  contain  water  enough  to  overflow  the 
land  and  cover  the  highest  mountains  to  the  depth  of  twenty-two 
feet,  were  their  temperature  merely  raised  to  a  degree  equal  to 
that  of  the  shallow  tropical  seas  !  Were  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Oceans  suddenly  warmed  to  a  point  perfectly  compatible 
with  the  maintenance  of  animal  life,  they  would  expand  suf 
ficiently  to  overflow  the  Cordilleras  and  the  Alps. 

3.  The  needlessness  of  a  universal  deluge,  as  a  partial  one 
would  have  answered  all  purposes.  That  the  Deluge  was 
universal  is  distinctly  stated  by  Scripture.  Had  not  God 
intended  it  to  be  so,  he  would  hardly  have  instructed  Noah 
to  spend  a  hundred  years  in  the  construction  of  an  ark :  a  spot 
of  the  earth  yet  uninhabited  by  man  might  have  been  desig 
nated,  where  Noah  could  have  gathered  his  family ;  there  would 
have  been  no  necessity  for  shutting  up  pairs  of  all  animals  in 
the  ark  with  which  to  re-stock  the  earth,  for  they  could  have 
been  easily  brought  from  the  parts  of  the  earth  not  overflowed 
into  those  that  were.  Then  we  are  told  that  the  water 
ascended  twenty-two  feet  above  the  highest  mountains, — a 
distinct  physical  proof  that  the  whole  earth  was  inundated,  for 
water  then,  as  now,  would  seek  its  level,  and  must,  by  the  laws 
of  gravity,  spread  itself  over  the  rest  of  the  earth,  unless, 
indeed,  it  were  retained  there  by  a  miracle;  and  in  this  case 
Moses  would  certainly  have  mentioned  it,  as  he  did  the  suspen- 


MAN  UPON    THE    SEA.  33 

sion  of  the  laws  of  nature  in  the  case  of  the  waters  of  the  Red 
Sea.  Then,  again,  had  the  Deluge  been  partial  and  confined  to 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  account  for  the  fact  that  in  remote  countries — in 
Italy,  France,  Germany,  England,  the  United  States — there 
have  been  found,  in  places  far  from  the  sea,  and  upon  the  tops 
of  high  mountains,  the  teeth  and  bones  of  animals,  fishes  in  an 
entire  condition,  sea-shells,  ears  of  corn,  &c.,  petrified.  The 
explanation  of  this  has  always  been  derived  from  the  circum 
stance  of  a  universal  deluge.  The  fact,  too,  already  mentioned, 
that  the  Chinese,  the  Greeks,  and  the  Indians  have  traditions 
of  a  deluge,  seems  to  be  conclusive  evidence  that  that  terrible 
dispensation  was  not  confined  to  the  district  which  was  at  that 
period  scriptural  ground,  but  visited  alike  Palestine  and  Peru, 
Canaan  and  Connecticut. 

We  now  return  to  the  ark,  the  period  of  whose  completion 
we  have  already  given, — the  year  of  the  world  1656,  or  the  year 
before  Christ  2348.  Three  points  are  now  to  be  considered: — 
the  material  of  which  it  was  built,  its  capacity  and  dimensions, 
and  its  form. 

1.  The  Material  of  which  it  ivas  built.  The  Mosaic  account 
says  expressly  that  it  was  built  of  gopher-wood ;  but  it  has 
never  been  satisfactorily  determined  what  wood  is  meant  by  the 
term  "  gopher."  Numerous  interpretations  have  been  placed  upon 
it:  by  one  authority  it  is  rendered  "timber  squared  by  the 
workman.;"  by  another,  "timber  made  from  trees  which  shoot 
out  quadrangular  branches  in  the  same  horizontal  line,"  such 
as  cedar  arid  fir;  by  another,  "smoothed  or  planed  timber;"  by 
another,  "wood  that  does  not  readily  decay,"  such  as  boxwood 
or  cedar;  by  another,  "the  wood  of  such  trees  as  abound  with 
resinous,  inflammable  juices,"  as  the  cedar,  fir,  cypress,  pine,  &c. 
That  the  ark  was  built  of  cedar  would  seem  to  be  probable, 
from  the  fact  that  this  wood  corresponds  more  than  any  other 
with  the  numerous  significations  given  to  the  term  "gopher,"  as 


o4  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

it  is  quadrangular  in  its  branches,  durable,  almost  incorruptible, 
resinous,  and  highly  inflammable ;  from  the  fact,  too,  that  it  is 
abundant  in  Asia,  and  known  to  have  been  employed  by  the 
Assyrians  and  Egyptians  in  the  construction  of  ships.  One  or 
two  authorities,  however,  maintain  that  the  ark  was  made  of 
the  wood  of  the  cypress,  their  grounds  being  that  the  cypress 
was  considered  by  the  ancients  the  most  durable  wood  against 
rot  and  worms ;  that  it  abounded  in  Assyria,  where  the  ark  was 
probably  built;  and  that  it  was  frequently  employed  in  the 
construction  of  ships,  especially  by  Alexander,  who  built  a 
whole  fleet  from  the  cypress  groves  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Babylon. 

2.  Its  Capacity  and  Dimensions.  The  proportions  of  the 
ark,  as  given  in  the  sacred  volume,  have  been  examined  and  com 
pared  with  the  greatest  precision  by  the  most  learned  and  accu 
rate  calculators;  and,  assuming  the  cubit  to  have  been  of  the 
value  of  eighteen  inches  of  the  present  day,  it  follows  that  the  ark 
was  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  by  seventy -five  wide,  by  forty- 
five  high.  From  these  data  its  burden  has  been  deduced,  and  is 
now  understood  to  have  been  forty-two  thousand  four  hundred 
"and  thirteen  tons.  Such  a  construction  would  have  allowed 
ample  room  for  the  eight  persons  who  were  to  inhabit  it, — Noah 
and  his  wife,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth,  and  their  wives, — about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pair  of  four-footed  beasts,  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  such  reptiles  and  insects  as  could  not  live  under  water,  together 
with  the  food  necessary  for  their  subsistence  for  a  twelvemonth.  It 
has  been  doubted  whether  Noah  took  with  him  into  the  ark  speci 
mens  of  all  living  creatures.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  as 
the  world  was  nearly  seventeen  centuries  old,  the  animal  creation 
had  spread  itself  over  a  large  portion  of  the  antediluvian  earth, 
and  that  certain  species  had  consequently  become  indigenous  in 
certain  climates.  It  is  therefore  probable  that  many  species 
were  not  to  be  found  in  the  country  where  Noah  dwelt  and 
where  he  built  the  ark.  We  are  not  told  in  the  Bible  that  anv 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.         .  35 

kind  of  animals  were  brought  from  a  distance, — a  fact  which 
renders  it  probable  that  Noah  only  saved  pairs  of  the  species 
which  had  become  natives  of  the  territory  which  he  inhabited. 
This  would  be  to  suppose  that  many  species  perished  in  the  flood 
and  were  consequently  never  renewed, — a  supposition  which  de 
rives  strong  support  from  the  numerous  discoveries  made  in 
modern  times  of  the  exuviae  of  animals  which  no  longer  exist, 
and  whose  destruction  is  attributed  to  the  Deluge.  A  list  of 
such  extinct  species  was  drawn  up  by  Cuvier. 

The  presumptive  evidence  which  may  be  adduced  in  support 
of  the  scriptural  history  of  the  preparation  of  the  ark  is  very 
strong ;  it  is,  indeed,  the  only  solution  of  an  otherwise  insuper 
able  difficulty.  The  early  records  of  the  whole  Gentile  world, 
as  has  been  stated,  concur  in  declaring  the  fact  of  a  universal 
deluge;  and  yet  the  human  race  and  all  the  more  useful  and 
important  species  of  animals  survived  it.  Now,  the  people  of 
those  times  had  no  ships  and  were  totally  unacquainted  with 
navigation :  it  is  evident,  therefore,  that  they  were  not  saved  by 
vessels  in  ordinary  use.  Even  though  we  were  to  suppose  them 
possessed  of  shipping,  it  is  impossible  to  believe  that  they 
would  or  could  have  provisioned  them  for  a  year's  cruise,  unless 
we  suppose  them  to  have  been  forewarned  precisely  as  Moses 
relates ;  and  it  is  certainly  as  easy  to  believe  the  whole  of  the 
Bible  narrative  as  a  portion.  Such  a  structure  as  the  ark,  for  the 
preservation  and  sustenance  of  the  human  race  and  of  the  animal 
kingdom,  seems,  then,  to  have  been  absolutely  indispensable. 

3.  Its  Form.  From  the  dimensions  given  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  Genesis,  it  is  evident  that  the  ark  had  the  shape  of  an  oblong 
square,  with  a  sloping  roof  and  a  flat  bottom ;  that  it  was  fur 
nished  with  neither  helm,  mast,  nor  oars ;  that  it  was  intended 
to  lie  upon  the  water  without  rolling,  and  formed  to  float  rather 
than  to  sail.  Its  proportions,  it  has  been  remarked,  nearly 
agree  with  those  of  the  human  figure, — three  hundred  cubits  in 
length  being  six  times  its  breadth,  fifty  cubits,  and  the  average 


36  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

length  of  the  human  frame  being  to  its  width  as  six  is  to  one. 
Now,  the  body  of  a  man  lying  in  the  water  flat  on  his  back  will 
float  with  little  or  no  exertion.  It  would  appear,  therefore,  that 
similar  proportions  would  suit  a  vessel  whose  purpose  was  floating 
only.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  ark  had  to  contend 
with  either  storm  or  wind.  The  waves  of  water  lying  to  the 
depth  of  a  few  fathoms  upon  a  submerged  continent  could  not, 
at  any  rate,  be  compared  in  •  violence  to  those  of  the  ocean. 
The  gathering  of  the  flood  lasted  but  forty  days,  and  although 
the  ark  floated  for  a  year,  nearly  eleven  months  were  occupied 
in  the  subsidence  of  the  water.  It  is  probable  that  the  ark  was 
gradually  and  slowly  surrounded  by  the  advancing  tide,  was 
quietly  lifted  up  upon  its  surface,  that  it  hovered  about  the  spot 
where  it  was  constructed,  and  finally,  upon  the  disappearance  of 
the  water,  settled  as  quietly  back  upon  its  broad  basis  and  pro 
jecting  supports. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  many  minds  which  have  refused  to 
accept  the  evidences  of  a  communication  between  God  and  man 
in  the  instances  of  Moses  and  of  our  Savior,  admit  the  strong 
probability  of  a  communication  having  passed  from  God  to 
Noah.  The  chain  of  argument  is  indeed  exceedingly  strong. 
Mr.  Taylor  thus  seeks  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Deity  did, 
in  the  case  of  Noah,  condescend  to  make  known  his  intentions 
to  man.  "Was  the  Deluge,"  he  asks,  "a  real  occurrence?  All 
mankind  acknowledge  it.  Wherever  tradition  has  been  main 
tained,  wherever  written  records  are  preserved,  wherever  com 
memorative  rites  have  been  instituted,  what  has  been  their 
subject?  The  Deluge : — deliverance  from  destruction  by  a  flood. 
The  savage  and  the  sage  agree  in  this :  North  and  South,  East 
and  West,  relate  the  danger  of  their  great  ancestor  from  over 
whelming  waters.  But  he  was  saved :  and  how  ?  By  personal 
exertion?  By  long-continued  swimming?  By  concealment  in 
the  highest  mountains  ?  No :  but  by  enclosure  in  a  large  float 
ing  edifice  of  his  own  construction.  But  this  labor  was  long : 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  37 

it  was  not  the  work  of  a  day :  he  must  have  foreseen  so  as 
tonishing  an  event  a  considerable  time  previous  to  its  actual 
occurrence.  Whence  did  he  receive  this  foreknowledge  ?  Did 
the  earth  inform  him  that  at  twenty,  thirty,  forty  years'  distance 
it  would  disgorge  a  flood  ?  Surely  not.  Did  the  stars  announce 
that  they  would  dissolve  the  terrestrial  atmosphere  in  terrific 
rains  ?  Surely  not.  Whence,  then,  had  Noah  his  foreknowledge  ? 
Did  he  begin  to  build  when  the  first  showers  descended  ?  It  was 
too  late.  Had  he  been  accustomed  to  rains,  formerly?  Why 
think  them  now  of  importance?  Had  he  never  seen  rain? 
What  could  induce  him  to  provide  against  it  ?  Why  this  year 
more  than  last  year  ?  Why  last  year  more  than  the  year  before  ? 
These  inquiries  are  direct:  Ave  cannot  flinch  from  the  fact. 
Erase  it  from  the  Mosaic  records,  still  it  is  recorded  in  Greece, 
in  Egypt,  in  India,  in  Britain ;  it  is  registered  in  the  very  sacra 
of  the  pagan  world.  Go,  infidel,  take  your  choice  of  difficulties : 
either  disparage  all  mankind  as  fools,  as  willing  dupes  to 
superstitious  commemoration,  or  allow  that  this  fact,  this  one 
fact,  is  established  by  testimony  abundantly  sufficient;  but  re 
member  that  if  it  be  established,  it  implies  a  communication 
from  G-od  to  man.  Who  could  inform  Noah?  Why  did  not 
that  great  patriarch  provide  against  fire  ?  against  earthquakes  ? 
against  explosions  ?  Why  against  water  ?  why  against  a  deluge'? 
Away  with  subterfuge  !  confess  frankly  it  was  the  dictation  of 
Deity.  Say  that  He  only  who  made  the  world  could  predict  the 
time  and  causes  of  this  devastation,  that  He  only  could  excite 
the  hope  of  restoration,  or  suggest  a  method  of  deliverance." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  one  which  goes  far  to  support  the 
argument  often  urged  to  combat  the  opinions  of  atheists,  that  the 
ark  could  not  have  been  built  by  man,  unassisted  by  the  divine 
intelligence,  at  that  age  of  the  world, — that  the  ark,  the  first 
and  largest  ship  ever  built,  had  precisely  the  same  proportions 
as  the  ocean  steamers  of  our  own  day.  Its  dimensions  were,  as 
we  have  said,  three  hundred  cubits,  by  fifty,  by  thirty.  Those  of 


38  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

several  of  the  fleetest  Atlantic  mail  steamers  are  three  hundred 
feet  in  length,  fifty  feet  in  breadth  of  beam,  and  twenty-eight 
and  a  half  in  depth.  They  have,  like  the  ark,  upper,  lower,  and 
middle  stories.  It  is,  to  say  the  least,  singular,  that  the  ship 
builders  of  the  present  day,  neglecting  the  experience  acquired 
by  man  from  forty-two  centuries  spent  more  or  less  upon  the 
sea,  should  so  directly  and  unreservedly  return  to  the  model  of 
the  vessel  constructed  to  outride  the  Flood.  It  was  therefore 
with  obvious  propriety  that,  at  one  of  the  late  convivial  meet 
ings  in  England  during  the  preparations  for  laying  the  telegraphic 
cable,  after  due  honor  had  been  paid  to  the  celebrities  of  the 
occasion  and  the  moment,  after  the  health  of  the  Queen  and  the 
memory  of  Columbus  had  been  pledged  and  drunk,  a  toast  was 
offered  to  our  great  ancestor  Noah.  Though  the  proposition 
was  received  with  hilarity  and  the  idea  seemed  to  savor  some 
what  of  a  jest,  yet  the  patriarch's  claims,  as  the  first  admiral 
on  record,  to  being  the  father  of  seamen  and  the  great  originator 
of  navigation,  were  willingly  and  vociferously  acknowledged. 
After  this  recognition — which  must,  from  the  circumstances,  be 
regarded  as  in  some  measure  official  and  conclusive — we  could 
not  consistently  have  ventured  to  withhold  from  him  the  first 
place  in  this  record  of  the  achievements  of  "Man  upon  the  Sea." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    SHIPS,    COMMERCE,    AND    NAVIGATION     OF    THE    PHOENICIANS THEIR    TRADE 

WITH  OPHIR — SIDON  AND  TYRE THEIR  VOYAGE  ROUND  AFRICA NEW  TYRE — A 

PATRIOTIC    PHOENICIAN    CAPTAIN THE    EGYPTIANS    AS    A    MARITIME    PEOPLE 

THEIR  SHIPS  AND  COMMERCE — THE  JEWS — THEIR  GEOGRAPHY — IDEAS  UPON  THE 
SHAPE  OF  THE  EARTH THE  WORLD  AS  KNOWN  TO  THE  HEBREWS. 

IT  is  upon  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  alike  the  sea  of 
the  Bible  and  of  mythology,  of  Mount  Ararat  and  Mount 
Olympus, — among  the  Phoenicians,  the  Egyptians,  and  the 
Hebrews, — that  we  must  look  for  the  earliest  traces  of  navigation 
and  commerce.  The  most  cursory  inspection  of  a  map  of 
Palestine,  Phoenicia,  and  Egypt  will  show  how  admirably  these 
countries  were  situated  for  trade  both  by  land  and  sea.  The 
Phoenicians,  though  confined  to  the  narrow  slip  of  land  between 
Mount  Lebanon  and  the  Mediterranean,  possessed  a  safe  coast 
and  the  admirable  harbor  of  Sidon,  while  their  mountains  fur 
nished  them  an  abundant  supply  of  the  best  woods  for  ship 
building.  The  confined  limits  of  their  own  territory  prevented 
them  from  being  themselves  producers  or  manufacturers, — a  cir 
cumstance  which  naturally  led  them  to  be  the  carriers  of  pro 
ducing  and  manufacturing  nations  whose  maritime  advantages 
were  inferior  to  their  own.  The  fact,  also,  that  the  Jews  were 
prevented  by  their  government,  laws,  and  religion  from  engaging 
extensively  in  commerce,  and  that  the  Egyptians  were  character 
istically  averse  to  the  sea,  augmented  the  commercial  supre 
macy  of  the  Phoenicians, — a  supremacy  recognised  both  in  the 

sacred  writings  and  in  profane  records. 

39 


40  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

It  is  now  generally  conceded  that  the  date  of  the  maritime 
enterprises  which  rendered  the  Phoenicians  famous  in  antiquity 
must  be  fixed  between  the  years  1700  and  1100  before  Christ. 
The  renowned  city  of  Sidon  was  the  centre  from  which  their 
expeditions  were  sent  forth.  What  was  the  specific  object  of 
these  excursions,  or  in  what  order  of  time  they  took  place,  is  but 
imperfectly  known :  it  would  appear,  however,  that  their  adven 
turers  traded  at  first  with  Cyprus  and  Rhodes,  then  with  Greece, 
Sardinia,  Sicily,  Gaul,  and  the  coast  of  Spain  upon  the  Mediter 
ranean.  About  1250  B.C.,  their  ships  ventured  cautiously 
beyond  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  and  founded  Cadiz  upon  a 
coast  washed  by  the  Atlantic.  A  little  later  they  founded 
establishments  upon  the  western  coast  of  Africa.  Homer  as 
serts  that  at  the  Trojan  War,  1194  B.C.,  the  Phoenicians  fur 
nished  the  belligerents  with  many  articles  of  luxury  and  con 
venience  ;  and  we  are  told  by  Scripture  that  their  ships  brought 
gold  to  Solomon  from  Ophir,  in  1000  B.C.  Tyre  seems  now  to 
have  superseded  Sidon,  though  at  what  period  is  not  known.  It 
had  become  a  flourishing  mart  before  600  B.C.;  for  Ezekiel, 
who  lived  at  that  time,  has  left  a  glowing  and  picturesque  de 
scription  of  its  wealth,  which  must  have  proceeded  from  a  long- 
established  commerce.  He  enumerates,  among  the  articles  used 
in  building  the  Tyrian  ships,  the  fir-trees  of  Senir,  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  the  oaks  of  Bashan,  the  ivory  of  the  Indies,  the  linen 
of  Egypt,  and  the  purple  of  the  Isles  of  Elishah.  He  mentions, 
as  brought  to  the  great  emporium  from  Syria,  Damascus,  Greece, 
and  Arabia,  silver,  tin,  lead,  and  vessels  of  brass ;  slaves,  horses, 
mules;  carpets,  ebony,  ivory,  pearls,  and  silk;  wheat,  balm, 
honey,  oil,  and  gum ;  wine,  wool,  and  iron. 

It  is  about  this  period — 600  B.C. — that  the  Phoenicians,  though 
under  Egyptian  commanders,  appear  to  have  performed  a  voyage 
which,  if  authentic,  may  justly  be  regarded  as  the  most  important 
in  their  annals, — a  circumnavigation  of  Africa.  The  extent  of 
this  unknown  region,  and  the  peculiar  aspects  of  man  and  nature 


MAX    UPON    THE    SEA.  41 

there,  had  already  drawn  toward  it  in  a  particular  degree  the 
attention  of  the  ancient  world.  The  manner  in  which  its  coasts 
converged,  south  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Bed  Sea,  sug 
gested  the  idea  of  a  peninsula,  the  circumnavigation  of  which 
might  be  effected  even  by  the  limited  resources  of  the  early 
naval  powers.  The  first  attempt  in  this  direction  originated  in 
a  quarter  which  had  been  accustomed,  from  its  agricultural  aYO- 
cations,  to  hold  itself  aloof  from  every  species  of  maritime 
enterprise.  It  was  undertaken  by  order  of  Xecho,  ting  of 
Egypt, — the  Pharaoh  Necho  of  the  Scriptures, — and  is  recorded 
by  Herodotus  as  follows : 

"When  Xecho  had  desisted  from  his  attempts  to  join  the 
Red  Sea  with  the  Mediterranean  by  means  of  a  canal  at  the 
Isthmus  of  Suez,  he  despatched  some  vessels,  under  the  guidance 
of  Phoenician  pilots,  with  orders  to  sail  down  the  Red  Sea  and 
follow  the  coast  of  Africa :  they  were  to  return  to  Egypt  by  the 
Pillars  of  Hercules  and  the  Mediterranean.  The  Phoenicians, 
therefore,  taking  their  course  by  way  of  the  Red  Sea,  sailed 
onward  to  the  Southern  Ocean.  Upon  the  approach  of  autumn 
they  landed  in  Libya  and  planted  corn  in  the  place  where  they 
first  went  ashore.  When  this  was  ripe  they  cut  it  down  and 
set  sail  again.  Having  in  this  manner  consumed  two  years, 
in  the  third  they  passed  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  and  returned  to 
Egypt.  This  story  may  be  believed  by  others,  but  to  me  it 
appears  incredible,  for  they  affirm  that  when  they  sailed  round 
Libya  they  had  the  sun  on  their  right  hand." 

In  the  time  of  Herodotus,  the  Greeks  were  unacquainted 
with  the  phenomenon  of  a  shadow  falling  to  the  south, — one 
which  the  Phoenicians  would  naturally  have  witnessed  had  they 
actually  passed  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  for  the  sun  would  have 
been  on  their  right  hand,  or  in  the  north,  and  would  thus  have 
projected  shadows  to  the  south.  As  this  story  was  not  one  likely 
to  have  been  invented  in  the  time  of  Xecho,  it  is  the  strongest 
proof  that  could  be  adduced  of  the  reality  of  the  voyage.  Doubts 


42  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

have  been  raised  in  modern  times  upon  the  accuracy  of  the 
narrative ;  but  the  objections  are  considered  as  having  been 
refuted  by  Rennell  and  Heeren.  Bartholomew  Diaz  has  the 
credit  of  having  discovered  and  having  been  the  first  to  double 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  1486  :  it  is  clear  that,  if  the  claims 
of  the  Phoenician  pilots  are  to  be  regarded,  Diaz  was  preceded 
in  this  path  at  least  twenty  centuries. 

Soon  after  the  date  of  this  voyage,  Tyre  was  besieged  and 
destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  inhabitants  succeeded  in 
escaping  with  their  property  to  an  island  near  the  shore,  where 
they  founded  New  Tyre,  which  soon  surpassed,  both  in  com 
merce  and  shipping,  the  city  they  had  abandoned.  The 
Phoenicians  seem  now  to  have  advanced  with  their  system  of 
colonization  farther  to  the  south  upon  the  coast  of  Africa, 
and  farther  to  the  north  upon  the  coast  of  Spain.  They  dis 
covered  the  Cassiterides — now  the  Scilly  Islands — upon  the 
coast  of  Cornwall,  and  retained  the  monopoly  of  the  trade  in 
the  tin  which  they  found  there.  They  carried  spices  and 
perfumes,  obtained  from  Arabia,  to  Greece,  where  they  were 
employed  for  sacrifice  and  incense.  They  also  sold  there  the 
manufactures,  purple,  and  jewels  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  From 
Spain  they  obtained  silver,  corn,  wine,  oil,  wax,  wool,  and 
fruits.  They  procured  amber  in  some  place  which  they  visited 
in  the  North, — doubtless  the  shores  of  the  Baltic.  As  the  value 
of  this  article  was  equal  to  that  of  gold,  they  desired  to  retain 
the  monopoly  of  the  trade  and  to  keep  all  knowledge  of  the 
regions  yielding  it  from  their  commercial  rivals.  Hence  the 
secret  was  most  carefully  hoarded. 

A  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  the  maritime 
history  of  the  Phoenicians  was  their  jealousy  of  the  influence  of 
foreigners.  When  a  strange  ship  was  observed  to  keep  them  com 
pany  at  sea,  they  would  either  outsail  her,  or  at  night  change  their 
course  and  disappear.  On  one  occasion  a  Phoenician  captain, 
finding  himself  pursued  by  a  Roman  vessel,  ran  his  ship  aground 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  43 

and  wrecked  her,  rather  than  lose  the  secret  which  a  capture 
would  have  revealed.  This  act  was  deemed  so  patriotic  that  the 
government  rewarded  him,  and  compensated  him  for  the  loss  of 
his  vessel.  New  Tyre  was  destroyed  by  Alexander  the  Great, 
324  B.C.  The  inhabitants  were  either  put  to  death  or  sold  as 
slaves,  and  thus  the  maritime  glory  of  the  Phoenicians  came 
to  an  untimely  end. 

Little  is  known  of  the  construction  and  equipment  of  Phoe 
nician  ships.  All  that  can  be  said  with  certainty  is,  that  there 
were  two  kinds, — those  employed  in  commerce  and  those  used  for 
war, — a  distinction,  indeed,  which  all  nations,  both  ancient  and 
modern,  have  found  it  convenient  to  make.  The  hulls  of  the 
trading-vessels  were  round,  that  they  might  carry  more  goods, 
while  the  fighting-ships  were  longer  and  sharp  at  the  bottom.  In 
other  respects  they  probably  resembled  the  vessels  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  for  which  they  undoubtedly  furnished  models.  Of 
these  fuller  details  have  reached  us,  and  we  shall  speak  of 
them  in  their  place.  The  Phoenicians  were  better  astronomers 
than  the  unskilful  navigators  who  had  preceded  them;  for, 
while  these  attempted  to  guide  their  course  by  the  imperfect  aid 
of  the  constellation  known  as  the  Great  Bear, — some  of  whose 
stars  are  forty  degrees  from  the  pole, — the  Phoenicians  were  the 
first  to  apply  to  maritime  purposes  the  Lesser  Bear, — the  group 
which  has  furnished  to  more  modern  navigation  the  North  or 
Polar  Star.  It  is  not  probable  that  they  fixed  upon  this 
particular  star,  for  at  that  period — 1250  years  B.C. — it  was 
eighteen  degrees  from  the  pole,  too  distant  to  serve  any  positive 
astronomical  purpose. 

We  come  now  to  the  Egyptians  as  a  maritime  people  in  the 
earliest  historical  periods,  of  whom  we  have  incidentally  said 
that  they  were  characteristically  disinclined  to  enter  with  spirit 
into  any  maritime  enterprises,  whether  for  commerce  or  war. 
This  may  have  been  owing  to  the  want  of  proper  timber,  to 
the  insalubrity  of  the  sea-coasts,  and  to  the  absence  of  good 


44  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

harbors  ;  while  the  advantages  presented  by  the  Nile  for  inter 
course  and  traffic  with  the  interior  precluded  the  necessity  of 
resorting  to  commerce  by  sea.  Sesostris,  who  lived  about  1650 
years  before  Christ,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  king  who 
overcame  the  dislike  of  the  Egyptians  to  the  water.  Herodotus 
assigns  him  a  large  fleet  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  other  historians 
attribute  to  him  fleets  upon  the  Mediterranean.  Upon  his  death, 
his  subjects  relapsed  into  their  former  aversion  for  commerce. 
Bocchoris,  700  B.C.,  imitated  and  revived  his  legislation  upon 
the  subject ;  and  during  the  reign  of  Psammeticus  the  ports  of 
Egypt  were  first  opened  to  foreign  ships,  and  intercourse  with 
the  Greeks  was  for  the  first  time  encouraged.  It  was  Necho, 
the  successor  of  Psammeticus,  who  employed,  600  B.C.,  the 
Phoenicians  in  the  voyage  around  Africa  of  which  we  have 
spoken  ;  and  this  enterprise  bespeaks  a  monarch  bent  on  mari 
time  discovery.  Apries,  the  grandson  of  Necho,  took  the  city 
of  Sidon  by  storm  and  defeated  the  Phoenicians  in  a  sea-fight.  It 
is  probable  that  the  Egyptians,  had  they  continued  independent, 
would  have  become  distinguished  as  a  commercial  people;  but 
seventy  years  afterwards  they  were  conquered  by  the  Persians, 
and  became  successively  subject  to  the  Macedonians  and  Romans. 

We  possess  but  little  knowledge  of  the  construction  and 
equipment  of  the  Egyptian  ships.  According  to  Herodotus, 
they  were  built  of  planks  of  the  thorn-tree,  fastened  together, 
like  tiles,  with  a  great  number  of  wooden  pins,  and  were  entirely 
without  ribs.  On  the  inside  papyrus  was  used  for  stopping 
the  crevices.  The  sails  were  made  of  the  papyrus,  or  of  twisted 
rushes.  These  vessels  were  always  towed  up  the  Nile,  while 
they  descended  the  stream  in  the  following  manner.  The  cur 
rent  not  acting  with  sufficient  force  upon  their  flat  bottoms,  the 
sailors  hung  a  bundle  of  tamarisk  over  the  prow  and  let  it  down 
under  the  keel  by  a  rope  :  the  stream,  bearing  upon  this  bundle, 
carried  the  boat  along  with  great  celerity. 

The  Jews,  whose  country  was  ill  situated  for  commerce  by 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.    ,  45 

sea,  were  even  more  averse  than  the  Egyptians  to  intercourse 
with  foreigners  and  to  maritime  occupations.  Joppa  was  the 
only  seaport  of  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  into  it  many  of  the 
articles  used  by  Solomon  in  the  construction  of  the  Temple  were 
imported.  During  Solomon's  reign,  he  employed  the  ships  of 
his  ally,  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  in  commercial  avocations,  for 
which  his  own  people  were  not  fitted.  It  is  among  the  Jews, 
whose  history  is  given  in  the  Scripture  with  so  much  detail,  that 
we  should  naturally  look  for  the  earliest  geographical  records. 
The  sacred  writers,  however,  seem  to  have  entertained  no  idea 
of  any  system  of  geography,  having  been  occupied  with  the 
affairs  of  the  world  to  come,  to  the  total  exclusion  of  the  concerns 
of  the  mundane  earth.  They  do  not  even  allude  to  any  such 
branch  of  learning  as  being  then  in  existence.  It  is  clear  that 
the  Hebrews  never  attempted  to  form  any  theory  upon  the 
structure  and  shape  of  the  globe.  Their  ideas  with  regard  to 
the  boundaries  of  the  known  world  may  be  vaguely  inferred 
from  the  tenth  chapter  of  Genesis,  from  the  chapters  treating 
of  the  commerce  of  Tyre,  and  from  various  detached  allusions 
in  the  prophets. 

The  idea,  common  to  all  uninstructed  people,  that  the  earth  is 
a  flat  surface  and  the  heaven  a  firmament  or  curtain  spread  over 
it,  prevails  throughout  the  Bible.  The  abode  of  darkness  and 
of  the  shadow  of  death  was  conceived  to  be  a  deep  pit  beneath 
it.  One  sacred  writer  speaks  of  the  earth  as  being  "hung  upon 
nothing;"  another  speaks  of  the  "pillars  of  the  earth,"  and 
another  of  the  "  pillars  of  heaven."  These  allusions  show  suf 
ficiently  that,  though  the  writers  of  those  days  were  impressed 
by  the  external  view  of  the  grand  scenes  of  nature,  they  did  not 
endeavor  to  group  them  into  any  regular  system. 

The  localities  always  alluded  to  as  being  at  the  farthest 
bounds  of  their  geographical  knowledge  are  Tarshish,  Ophir, 
the  Isles,  Sheba,  Dedan,  The  River,  Gog,  Magog,  and  the  North. 
The  first  has  given  rise  to  infinite  discussion.  The  best  theory 


46  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

makes  it  the  name  of  Carthage,  and  gives  it,  by  extension,  to 
the  whole  continent  of  Africa.  Ophir  is  probably  Sofala,  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Africa.  The  Isles  are  thought  to  have  been 
the  southern  coasts  and  promontories  of  Europe,  Greece,  Italy, 
&c.,  which  were  supposed  at  that  period  to  be  insular.  Sheba 
was  Sabaea,  or  Arabia  Felix.  Dedan  is  supposed  to  have  been  a 
port  in  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  River  was  the  Euphrates,  be 
yond  which  were  tracts  indefinitely  known  as  Elam  and  Media, 
and  still  beyond  a  region  known  as  "The  Ends  of  the  Earth." 
Gog,  Magog,  and  the  North  have  been  usually  supposed  to  refer 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Scythia  and  Sarmatia,  and  the  hyperborean 
nations  in  general,  though  a  later  and  more  natural  theory  makes 
them  refer  to  the  migratory  shepherds  and  warriors  of  Cappa- 
docia,  Phrygia,  and  Galatia.  It  thus  appears  that  the  primitive 
Israelites  knew  little  beyond  the  limits  of  their  own  country, 
Egypt,  and  the  regions  lying  between  the  Mediterranean,  or  the 
Sea,  and  the  Euphrates.  A  knowledge  of  the  water,  we  have 
already  remarked,  is  essential  to  the  formation  of  any  correct  and 
adequate  idea  of  the  shape  and  extent  of  the  land.  The  Jews 
had  never  ventured  forth  upon  the  sea  for  the  discovery  of 
new  regions,  and  were,  in  consequence,  ignorant  even  of  that  in 
which  they  dwelt.  "We  shall  find  that  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
whose  maritime  history  we  shall  now  briefly  narrate,  approached 
the  truth  in  regard  to  the  form  and  extent  of  the  world,  pre 
cisely  as  their  commerce  expanded  and  their  ambition  for  con 
quest  and  colonization  augmented. 


SUPPOSED   FORM   OF  THE  SHIP  ARGO,  (FROM   AN  ANCIENT   BAS-RELIEF.) 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    EARLY  MARITIME    HISTORY  OF  THE  GREEKS THE    EXPEDITION  OF  THE  ARGO 
NAUTS — THE  VESSELS  USED  IN   THE    TROJAN  WAR SHIP-BUILDING  IN  THE  TIME 

OF  HOMER — THE  POETIC  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE  GREEKS THE  PALACE  OF  THE  SUN 

-THE  MARVELS  OF  A  VOYAGE  OUT  OF  SIGHT  OF  LAND — THE  GEOGRAPHY  OF 
HESIOD OF  ANAXIMANDER — OF  THALES,  HERODOTUS,  SOCRATES,  AND  ERATOS 
THENES — THE  GREAT  OCEAN  IS  NAMED  THE  ATLANTIC. 

AT  what  period  the  Greeks  began  to  build  vessels  and  to  ven 
ture  upon  the  waters  washing  their  coasts  and  girding  their 
numerous  archipelagoes,  is  not  known :  it  is  certain,  at  any  rate, 
that  the  commencement  of  navigation  with  them,  as  with  all 
other  nations,  must  be  referred  to  a  time  much  anterior  to  the 
ages  of  which  we  have  any  record.  Long  voyages  are  men 
tioned  as  having  taken  place  at  periods  so  early  that  they  must 
be  considered  mythical.  The  first  maritime  adventure  which 
lays  any  claim  to  authenticity,  and  the  most  celebrated  in  ancient 
times,  is  the  expedition  of  the  Argonauts  to  Colchis.  Though 
this  enterprise  is  by  many  learned  authorities  deemed  fabulous, 
we  shall  nevertheless  consider  three  points  connected  with  it, — 
the  probable  era  of  the  voyage,  its  supposed  object,  and  the 
various  routes  by  which  the  adventurers  are  said  to  have  returned. 

The  date  of  the  expedition,  if  it  took  place  at  all,  may  be 

47 


48  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

safely  fixed  at  the  year  1250  B.C.  A  theory  propounded  by 
Sir  Isaac  Newton  would  connect  it  with  the  year  937 ;  but  this 
is  regarded  with  less  favor  than  the  earlier  date.  Its  alleged 
object  was  the  Golden  Fleece ;  but  what  this  was  can  only  be 
conjectured.  It  is  hardly  likely  that  the  people  of  that  age 
would  have  been  tempted  by  the  prospect  of  commercial  advan 
tages  by  opening  a  trade  with  the  Euxine  Sea.  It  is  quite  as  un 
likely  that  they  would  have  undertaken  so  dangerous  a  voyage  for 
the  purpose  of  plunder,  better  opportunities  for  which  existed 
much  nearer  home.  The  supposition  that  the  Golden  Fleece  was 
a  parchment  containing  the  secret  of  transmuting  the  baser  metals 
into  gold,  and  the  opinion  that  the  Argonauts  went  in  quest  of 
skins  and  rich  furs,  hardly  require  discussion.  There  seems, 
indeed,  no  adequate  motive  but  a  desire  to  obtain  the  precious 
metals,  which  were  believed  to  be  furnished  in  abundance  by  the 
mines  near  the  Black  Sea.  Why  these  mines  were  symbolized 
under  the  appellation  of  a  golden  fleece  it  is  not  easy  to  say, 
and  no  satisfactory  reason  has  ever  been  suggested.  The  most 
probable  is  that  the  gold  dust  was  supposed  to  be  washed  down 
the  sides  of  the  Caucasus  Mountains  by  torrents,  and  caught  by 
fleeces  of  wool  placed  among  the  rocks  by  the  inhabitants. 

Jason,  the  son  of  the  King  of  Thessaly,  being  deprived  of  his 
inheritance,  and  having  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  by  some 
remote  and  hazardous  expedition,  was  induced  to  go  in  quest  of 
the  Golden  Fleece  in  Colchis.  He  enlisted  fifty  men,  and  em 
ployed  a  person  named  Argus  to  build  him  a  ship,  which  from  him 
was  called  Argo,  the  adventurers  being  named  Argonauts.  The 
Argo  is  described  as  a  pentecontoros, — that  is,  a  vessel  with  fifty 
oars.  The  number  of  the  Argonauts  is  usually  stated  at  fifty, 
though  one  authority  asserts  that  they  numbered  one  hundred. 
They  started  from  lolcos  in  Thessaly,  and  with  a  south  wind 
sailed  east  by  north.  The  narrative  of  the  expedition  is  full  of 
wonders.  They  landed  at  the  island  of  Lemnos,  where  they  found 
that  the  women  had  just  murdered  their  husbands  and  fathers. 


MAN    UPOX    THE    SEA.  49 

The  Argonauts  supplied  the  place  of  the  assassinated  relatives, 
and  Jason  had  two  sons  by  one  of  the  bereaved  Lemnians. 
When  the  vessel  arrived  at  the  entrance  to  the  Euxine, — the 
narrow  strait  now  called  the  Bosphorus, — they  built  a  temple, 
and  implored  the  protection  of  the  gods  against  the  Symplegades, 
or  Whirling  Rocks,  which  guarded  the  passage.  A  seer  named 
Phineas  was  consulted  upon  the  probability  of  their  sailing 
through  unharmed.  The  rocks  were  imagined  to  float  upon  the 
waves,  and,  when  any  thing  attempted  to  pass  through,  to  seize 
and  crush  it.  According  to  Homer, — 

"No  bird  of  air,  no  dove  of  swiftest  wing, 
That  bears  ambrosia  to  th'  ethereal  king, 
Shuns  the  dire  rocks :  in  vain  she  cuts  the  skies : 
The  dire  rocks  meet,  and  crush  her  as  she  flies." 

Phineas  advised  them  to  loose  a  dove,  to  mark  its  flight,  and  to 
judge  from  its  fate  of  the  destiny  reserved  for  them.  They 
did  so,  determined  to  push  boldly  on  if  the  bird  got  through  in 
safety.  The  pigeon  escaped  with  the  loss  of  some  of  its  tail- 
feathers.  The  Argo  dashed  onward,  and  cleared  the  formidable 
rocks  with  the  loss  of  a  few  of  its  stern  ornaments.  From  this 
time  forward,  the  legend  adds,  the  Symplegades  remained  fixed, 
and  were  no  longer  a  terror  to  navigators. 

The  Argonauts,  after  entering  the  Black  Sea,  sailed  due  east, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Phasis,  now  the  Rione.  ^etes,  the 
king,  promised  to  give  Jason  the  fleece  upon  certain  conditions. 
These  he  was  enabled  to  fulfil  by  the  aid  of  Medea,  a  sorceress, 
and  daughter  of  -ZEetes.  They  then  fled  together  to  Greece. 
The  route  followed  by  the  Argonauts  upon  their  return  is  differ 
ently  given  by  the  various  poets  who  have  told  the  story  and 
the  commentators  who  have  illustrated  it.  By  one  they  are 
represented  as  sailing  up  some  river  across  the  continent  to 
the  Baltic,  and  thence  homeward  along  the  coasts  of  France 
and  Spain,  and  through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  It  is  needless 
"to  say  that  there  is  no  river  which  flows  between  the  Euxine 


50  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

and  the  Baltic.  Other  tracks  laid  down  are  equally  prepos 
terous  in  the  eyes  of  modern  geography.  Herodotus  adopts  the 
tradition  that  they  returned  by  the  same  way  they  went, — the 
only  way,  indeed,  they  could  have  returned, — by  water.  The 
reader,  in  view  of  the  romantic  embellishments  with  which  this 
story  is  loaded,  and  of  the  strong  doubts  resting  upon  it  as  an 
historical  event,  must  choose,  from  among  the  various  theories 
we  have  given,  the  one  he  deems  the  most  satisfactory. 

One  generation  after  the  date  we  have  assigned  to  this  expe 
dition  occurred  the  Trojan  War.  In  the  year  1194  B.C.,  all  the 
Greek  states,  with  Agamemnon  at  their  head,  united  to  revenge 
the  insult  offered  to  Menelaus,  King  of  Sparta,  by  the  Trojan 
prince  Paris,  who  had  carried  off  the  king's  wife  Helen.  During 
the  interval  the  Greeks,  if  the  Homeric  account  is  to  be  believed, 
had  made  great  advances  in  the  arts  of  ship-building  arid  navi 
gation  ;  for  in  a  very  short  time  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  ships 
were  collected  at  Aulis,  the  general  rendezvous.  The  Boeotians 
furnished  fifty,  and  the  other  states  contributed  in  proportion. 
Each  of  them  contained  one  hundred  and  twenty  warriors ;  they 
must  therefore  have  been  vessels  of  considerable  magnitude. 
All  the  ships  are  described  as  having  masts  which  could  be 
taken  down  as  occasion  required.  The  sail  could  only  be  used 
when  the  wind  was  directly  astern.  The  delicate  art  of  sailing  in 
the  wind's  eye,  or  of  making  to  the  north  with  a  north  wind, 
was  not  yet  understood.  The  principal  propelling  power  lay  in 
the  oars,  which  turned  in  leathern  thongs  as  a  key  in  its  hole. 
Homer  represents  the  ships  to  have  been  black,  from  the  color 
of  the  pitch  with  which  they  were  smeared.  The  sides  near  the 
prow  were  often  painted  red,  whence  vessels  are  sometimes 
called  by  the  poets  red-cheeked.  On  their  arrival  upon  the 
Trojan  coast,  the  Greeks  drew  their  fleet  up  on  the  land  and 
anchored  them  by  means  of  large  stones.  They  then  surrounded 
them  with  fortifications,  to  protect  them  from  the  enemy. 

Homer,  who  lived  two  centuries  later, — 1000  B.C., — has  left  us 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  51 

a  tolerably  full  account  of  the  ship-building,  navigation,  and  geo 
graphy  of  his  time.  The  following  passage  from  the  Odyssey,  as 
rendered  into  English  by  Cowper,  is  regarded  by  antiquaries  as 
important,  showing,  as  it  does,  the  point  at  which  the  art  of  ship 
building  had  now  arrived.  Ulysses,  having  been  wrecked  upon  an 
island,  is  enabled  to  build  a  ship  by  the  aid  of  the  nymph  Calypso. 

"  She  gave  him,  fitted  to  the  grasp,  an  axe 
Of  iron,  ponderous,  double-edged,  with  haft 
Of  olive-wood  inserted  firm,  aud  wrought 
With  curious  art.     Then,  placing  in  his  hand 
A  polish'd  adze,  she  led  herself  the  way 
To  her  isle's  utmost  verge,  where  loftiest  stood 
The  alder,  poplar,  and  cloud-piercing  fir, 
Though  sapless,  sound,  and  fitted  for  his  use 
As  buoyant  most.     To  that  once  verdant  grove 
His  steps  the  beauteous  nymph  Calypso  led, 
And  sought  her  home  again.     Then  slept  not  he, 
But,  swinging  with  both  hands  the  axe,  his  task 
Soon  finish'd :  trees  full  twenty  to  the  ground 
He  cast,  which  dextrous  with  his  adze  he  smoothed, 
The  knotted  surface  chipping  by  a  line. 
Meantime  the  lovely  goddess  to  his  aid 
Sharp  augers  brought,  with  which  he  bored  the  beams. 
Then  placed  them  side  by  side,  adapting  each 
To  other,  and  the  seams  with  wadding  closed. 
Broad  as  an  artist  skill'd  in  naval  works 
The  bottom  of  a  ship  of  burthen  spreads, 
Such  breadth  Ulysses  to  his  raft  assign'd. 
He  decked  her  over  with  long  planks,  upborne 
On  massy  beams :  he  made  the  mast,  to  which 
He  added,  suitable,  the  yard :  he  framed 
Rudder  and  helm  to  regulate  her  course  : 
With  wickerwork  he  border'd  all  the  length 
For  safety,  and  much  ballast  stow'd  within. 
Meantime  Calypso  brought  him,  for  a  sail, 
Fittest  materials,  which  he  also  shaped, 
And  to  it  ail  due  furniture  annex'd 
Of  cordage  strong,  foot-ropes,  and  ropes  aloft ; 
Then  heaved  her  down  with  levers  to  the  deep.'" 


52  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Besides  the  facts  contained  in  this  passage,  it  is  worth  re 
marking  that  Homer  seems  to  regard  ship-builders  with  no 
little  consideration,  inasmuch  as  he  calls  them  "artists." 

The  Greeks,  like  the  Hebrews,  were  ignorant  of  the  real 
figure  of  the  earth.  It  is  in  Homer  that  we  find  the  first 
written  trace  of  the  widely  prevalent  idea  that  the  earth  is  a 
flat  surface  begirt  on  every  side  by  the  ocean.  This  was  a 
natural  belief  in  a  region  almost  insular,  like  Greece,  where  the 
visible  horizon  and  an  enveloping  sea  suggested  the  idea  of  a  flat 
circle.  Homer  took  the  lead  among  the  poetic  geographers  of 
Greece,  and  his  authority  gave  to  the  subject  a  fanciful  cast, 
the  traces  of  which  are  not  yet  obliterated.  Beneath  the  earth 
he  placed  the  fabled  regions  of  Elysium  and  Tartarus :  above 
the  whole  rose  the  grand  arch  of  the  heavens,  which  were  sup 
posed  to  rest  on  the  summits  of  the  highest  mountains.  The 
sun,  moon,  and  stars  were  believed  to  rise  from  the  waves  of 
the  sea,  and  to  sink  again  beneath  them  on  their  return  from 
the  skies. 

Homer's  distribution  of  the  land  was  even  more  fantastic. 
Beyond  the  limits  of  Greece  and  the  western  coasts  of  Asia 
Minor  his  knowledge  was  uncertain  and  obscure.  He  had 
heard  vaguely  of  Thebes,  the  mighty  capital  of  Egypt,  and  in 
his  verse  sang  of  its  hundred  gates  and  of  the  countless  hosts 
it  sent  forth  to  battle.  The  Ethiopians,  who  lived  beyond,  were 
deemed  to  be  the  most  remote  dwellers  upon  the  habitable  earth. 
Towards  the  centre  of  Africa  were  the  stupendous  ridges  of  the 
Atlas  Mountains :  Homer  deified  the  highest  peak,  and  made  it 
a  giant  supporting  upon  his  shoulders  the  outspreading  canopy 
of  the  heavens.  The  narrow  passage  leading  from  the  Mediter 
ranean  to  the  Atlantic,  and  now  known  as  the  Straits  of  Gibral 
tar,  was  believed  to  have  been  discovered  by  Hercules,  and  the 
mountains  on  either  side — Gibraltar  and  Ceuta — were,  from 
him,  called  the  Pillars  of  Hercules. 

Colchos,  upon  the  Black  Sea,  was  believed  to  be  an  ocean- 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  53 

city,  and  here  Greek  fancy  located  the  Palace  of  the  Sun.  It 
was  here  that  the  charioteer  of  the  skies  gave  rest  to  his 
coursers  during  the  night,  and  from  whence  in  the  morning 
he  drove  them  forth  again.  Colchos,  therefore,  was  Homer's 
eastern  confine  of  the  globe.  On  the  north,  Rhodope,  or  the 
Riphean  Mountains,  were  supposed  to  enclose  the  hyperborean 
limits  of  the  world.  Beyond  them  dwelt  a  fabled  race,  seated  in 
the  recesses  of  their  valleys  and  sheltered  from  the  contests  of 
the  elements.  They  were  represented  as  exempt  from  all  ills, 
physical  and  moral,  from  sickness,  the  changes  of  the  seasons, 
and  even  from  death.  A  race  directly  the  converse  of  the  ideal 
hyperboreans  were  the  Cimmerians,  located  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Sea  of  Azof,  who  are  described  by  Homer  as  dwelling  in 
perpetual  darkness  and  never  visited  by  the  sun.  He  imagined 
the  existence  of  numerous  other  nations,  who  long  continued  to 
hold  a  place  in  ancient  geography.  The  Cyclops,  who  had  but 
one  eye,  were  placed  in  Sicily ;  the  Arimaspians,  similarly 
afflicted,  inhabited  the  frontiers  of  India ;  the  Pigmies,  or 
Dwarfs,  who  fought  pitched  battles  with  the  cranes,  were  sup 
posed  to  dwell  in  Africa,  in  India,  and,  in  fact,  to  occupy  the 
whole  southern  border  of  the  Earth. 

In  the  time  of  Homer,  all  voyages  in  which  the  mariner  lost 
sight  of  land  were  considered  as  fraught  with  the  extremest 
peril.  No  navigator  ever  visited  Africa  or  Sicily  from  choice, 
but  only  when  driven  there  by  tempest  and  typhoon,  and  then  his 
woes  usually  terminated  in  shipwreck :  a  return  was  not  merely 
a  marvel,  but  a  miracle.  Homer  made  Sicily  the  principal 
scene  of  the  lamentable  adventures  of  Ulysses,  and  sufficient 
traces  are  furnished  by  the  Odyssey  of  the  distorted  and  ex 
aggerated  notions  entertained  in  the  poet's  time  of  the  character 
of  places  reached  by  a  voyage  at  sea.  The  existence  of  monsters 
of  frightful  form  and  size,  such  as  Polyphemus,  who  watched 
for  the  destruction  of  the  mariner  and  even  roasted  and  de 
voured  his  quivering  limbs ;  of  treacherous  enchantresses,  such 


54 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


as  Circe,  who  lured  but  to  ensnare ;  of  amiable  goddesses,  like 
Calypso,  who  offered  immortality  in  exchange  for  love, — was 
doubtless  believed  by  Homer,  though  we  must  make  some 
allowance  for  poetical  license.  At  any  rate,  the  invention  of 
these  fables  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  Homer,  who,  at  the  most, 
gave  a  highly-colored  repetition  of  the  terrific  reports  brought 
back  from  those  formidable  coasts  by  the  few  who  had  been 
fortunate  enough  to  return.  It  was  thus  that  an  ideal  and 
poetic  character  was  communicated  to  the  science  of  geography 
by  the  fables  with  which  Homer  tinged  his  narrative.  In  the 
early  ages  of  the  world,  science  and  poetry  were  twin  sisters  : 
every  poet  was  a  savant,  and  every  savant  was  a  poet. 

As  far  as  his  ideas  can  be  reduced  to  a  system,  the  earth 
was  a  flat  disk,  around  which  flowed  the  river    Ocean.     The 


G    TO     HOMER. 


accompanying  plan  will  enable  the  reader  to  form  an  adequate 
conception  of  the  Homeric  geography.  The  radius  of  the 
territories  described  by  Homer  with  any  degree  of  precision 
was  hardly  three  hundred  miles  in  length. 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


55 


Hesiod,  who  lived  a  century  after  Homer,  thus  states  the 
scientific  attainments  of  his  time: — "The  space  Between  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  between  the 
earth  and  Tartarus  beneath  it.  A  brazen  anvil,  if  tossed  from 
heaven,  would  fall  during  nine  days  and  nine  nights,  and  would 
reach  the  earth  upon  the  tenth  day.  Were  it  to  continue  its 
course  towards  the  abode  of  darkness,  it  would  be  nine  days 
and  nine  nights  more  in  accomplishing  the  distance."  It  is 
worth  while  remarking  that  this  statement  is  at  variance  with 
that  of  Homer,  who  makes  Vulcan,  when  precipitated  from 
heaven  by  Jupiter,  land  at  Lemnos  in  a  single  day  :  he  had 
travelled,  therefore,  nearly  twenty  times  faster  than  one  of  his 
own  anvils.  Hesiod  intended  to  convey,  by  this  illustration,  an 
imposing  idea  of  the  loftiness  of  the  heavens.  In  the  eyes  of 
modern  astronomy,  nothing  can  be  more  paltry.  The  time  that 
an  anvil  thrown  from  Halcyon,  the  brightest  star  of  the  Pleiades, 
towards  our  globe,  would  require  to  reach  it,  may  perhaps 
be  imagined  from  the  fact  that  the  rays  of  light  emitted  by 
Halcyon  travel  five  centuries  before  they  strike  the  earth  !  It 
is  thus  that  the  positive  revelations  of  modern  science  surpass 
in  marvels  the  most  daring  inventions  of  ancient  fable. 


THE  EARTH  ACCORDING  TO  ANAXIMANDER. 

Anaximander,  four  hundred  years  after  Homer,  held  that 
the  earth,  instead  of  being  flat,  was  in  the  form  of  a  cylinder, 
convex  upon  its  upper  surface.  Its  diameter  was  three  times 
greater  than  its  height ;  and  its  form  was  round,  as  if  it  had 


56  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

been  shaped  by  a  turner's  lathe.     The  Oracle  of  Delphi  was  the 
centre  of  his  system. 

Somewhat  later,  Thales,  one  of  the  Seven  Sages,  declared  his 
belief  that  the  earth  was  spherical,  and  remained  suspended  in 
mid  air  without  support  of  any  kind.  This  frightful  doctrine 
made  few  proselytes:  it  was  not  likely,  indeed,  that  any  one 
but  a  sage  would  adopt  a  theory  which  made  him  the  inhabitant 
of  a  globe  abandoned  and  isolated  in  the  midst  of  space. 

In  the  fifth  century  before  Christ,  Herodotus,  the  most  cele 
brated  traveller  of  antiquity,  and  consequently  capable  of  form 
ing  rational  ideas  upon  the  subject  of  geography,  rectified  many 
errors  which  had  crept  into  the  popular  belief,  though  Homer  was 
still  considered  infallible  by  the  masses  of  the  people.  "I 
know  of  no  such  river  as  the  ocean,"  he  says,  ironically:  "this 
denomination  seems  to  be  a  pure  invention  of  Homer  and  the 
old  poets.  I  cannot  help  laughing  when  I  hear  of  the  river 
Ocean,  and  of  the  spherical  form  of  the  earth,  as  if  it  were  the 
work  of  a  turner."  He  displaced  the  centre  of  the  inhabited 
surface,  which  the  Greeks  had  at  first  made  Mount  Olympus 
and  afterwards  Delphi,  making  Rhodes  the  fortunate  possessor 
of  the  privilege.  Socrates,  a  century  later,  (400  B.C.,)  asserted 
that  the  earth  was  in  the  form  of  a  globe,  sustained  in  the  middle 
of  the  heavens  by  its  own  equilibrium. 

About  the  year  230  B.C.,  Eratosthenes,  a  Greek  of  Cyrene, 
succeeded  in  reducing  geography  to  a  system,  under  the  patron 
age  of  the  Ptolemies  of  Egypt,  which  gave  him  access  to  the 
immense  mass  of  materials  gathered  by  Alexander  and  his  suc 
cessors  and  accumulated  at  the  Alexandrian  Library.  The 
spherical  form  of  the  earth  was  now  quite  generally  considered 
by  scientific  men  to  be  the  correct  theory,  though  it  could 
never  be  substantiated  till  some  navigator,  sailing  to  the  east, 
should  return  by  the  west.  Eratosthenes,  proceeding  upon  this 
principle,  made  it  his  study  to  adjust  to  it  all  the  known  features 
of  the  globe.  The  great  ocean  of  Homer  and  Herodotus, 


MAN    UPON  THE    SEA.  57 

surrounding  the  world,  still  remained  in  his  system.  He  com 
pared,  however,  the  magnitude  of  the  regions  known  in  his  time 
with  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  whole  circumference,  and 
became  convinced  that  only  a  third  part  of  the  space  was  filled 
up.  He  conjectured  that  the  remaining  space  might  consist  of 
one  great  ocean,  which  he  called  the  Atlantic,  from  Mount  Atlas, 
which  was  fancifully  believed  to  support  the  globe.  He  supposed, 
too,  that  lands  and  islands  might  be  discovered  in  it  by  sailing 
towards  the  west. 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  give  such  a  description  of  the  vessels 
used  by  the  Greeks  after  the  time  of  Homer,  as  the  confused 
and  incomplete  data  which  have  reached  us  will  enable  us  to 
furnish. 


A   GREEK   VESSEL   OF   THE    SIXTH    CENTURY    B.C. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CONSTRUCTION     OF    GREEK    VESSELS — THE    PROW,    POOP,    RUDDER,    OARS,    MASTS, 

SAILS,    CORDAGE,    BULWARKS,     ANCHORS BIREMES,    TRIREMES,    QUADRIREMES, 

QUINQUEREMES THE    GRAND    GALLEY    OF    PTOLEMY    PHILOPATOR ROMAN   VES 
SELS — THEIR    NAVY — MIMIC    SEA-FIGHTS — THE    FIVE    VOYAGES    OF    ANTIQUITY. 

THE  PROW  or  foredeck  of  Greek  vessels  was  ornamented  on 
both  sides  by  figures  in  mosaic  or  painted.  An  eye  on  each  side 
of  the  cutwater,  as  is  represented  above,  was  a  very  common 
embellishment.  A  projection  from  the  head  of  the  prow,  pointed 
or  covered  with  brass,  and  intended  to  damage  an  enemy  upon 
collision,  was  often  in  the  shape  of  a  wild  beast,  or  helmet,  or 
even  the  neck  of  a  swan.  Below  this  was  the  rostrum  or  beak, 
which  consisted  of  a  beam  armed  with  sharp  and  solid  irons. 
They  were  at  first  above  the  water ;  but  their  efficiency  was  after 
wards  increased  by  putting  them  below  the  water-line  and  ren 
dering  them  invisible.  The  commanding  officer  of  the  prow  was 
next  in  rank  to  the  helmsman,  and  had  charge  of  the  rigging 
and  the  control  of  the  rowers. 

The  DECK  proper,  or  middle  deck,  appears  to  have  been  raised 
above  the  bulwark,  or  at  least  upon  a  line  with  its  upper  edge, 
thus  enabling  the  soldiers  to  see  far  around  them  and  hurl  their 

darts  at  the  enemy  from  a  commanding  position. 
58 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  59 

The  POOP,  or  stern,  was  usually  higher  than  the  rest  of  the 
vessel,  and  upon  it  the  helmsman  had  his  elevated  seat.  It  was 
rounder  than  the  prow,  though  its  extremity  was  likewise  sharp. 
It  was  embellished  in  various  ways,  but  especially  with  the  figure 
of  the  tutelary  goddess  or  deity  of  the  vessel.  Over  the  helms 
man  was  a  roof,  and  above  that  an  elegant  ornament,  rising 
from  the  stern  and  bending  gracefully  over  him.  In  conse 
quence  of  its  conspicuous  place  and  beautiful  form,  this  ornament, 
named  an  aplustre,  was  considered  emblematic  of  the  sea,  and 
was  carried  off  by  the  victor  in  a  naval  engagement,  as  a  stand 
ard  or  a  scalp  in  more  modern  times. 

The  RUDDER  was  a  singular  contrivance.  The  origin  of  this 
very  useful  invention  is  attributed  by  Pliny,  as  we  have  said,  to 
Tiphys,  of  the  Argo, — a  doubtful  pilot  of  a  doubtful  vessel. 
Previous  to  this,  vessels  must  have  been  guided  by  the  same  oars 
which  propelled  them.  The  Grecian  rudder  was  a  long  oar  with 
a  very  broad  blade,  inserted,  not  at  the  extremity  of  the  stern, 
but  at  either  side  where  it  begins  to  curve;  and  a  ship  usually 
had  two,  both  being  managed  by  the  same  man.  In  large  ships 
they  were  connected  by  a  pole  which  kept  them  parallel  and 
gave  to  both  the  position  in  which  either  was  turned.  The  rudder 
seems  to  have  been  considered  an  emblem,  as  it  frequently  oc 
curs  on  gems,  coins,  and  cameos.  Thus  a  Triton  is  found  repre 
sented  as  blowing  a  shell  and  holding  a  rudder  over  his  shoulder. 
A  tiller  and  cornucopia  are  frequently  seen  in  juxtaposition.  A 
cameo,  still  preserved,  shows  a  Venus  Anadyomene  leaning  with 
her  left  arm  upon  a  rudder  the  same  height  as  herself,  and 
thereby  indicating,  as  is  supposed,  her  own  maritime  origin. 

The  OARS,  bearing  a  name  which  at  first  signified  only  the 
blade,  but  was  afterwards  applied  to  all  oars  except  the  rudder, 
varied  in  size  as  they  were  used  by  a  higher  or  lower  rank  of 
rowers.  A  trireme  may  be  said  to  have  had  one  hundred  and 
seventy  oars,  a  quinquereme  three  hundred,  and  even  four  hun 
dred.  The  lower  part  of  the  holes  through  which  the  oars 


60  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

passed  appears  to  have  been  covered  with  leather,  which  also 
extended  a  little  way  outside  the  hole.  In  vessels  mounting  five 
ranks  of  oars,  the  upper  ones  were  of  course  much  larger  than 
the  lower  ones,  and  we  therefore  find  it  stated  by  Greek  authors 
that  the  lower  rank  of  rowers,  having  the  shortest  oars  and  con 
sequently  the  easiest  work,  received  the  smallest  salary,  while 
those  who  had  the  largest  oars  and  the  heaviest  work  received 
the  largest  salary.  They  sat  upon  benches  attached  to  the  ribs 
of  the  vessel,  each  oar  being  managed  by  one  man. 

The  MASTS  of  Grecian  vessels,  of  which  there  were  one,  two, 
and  three,  were  usually  made  of  the  fir-tree.  A  vessel  with 
thirty  rowers  had  two  masts,  the  smaller  being  near  the  prow. 
In  three-masted  vessels  the  largest  mast  was  nearest  the  stern. 
The  part  of  the  mast  immediately  above  the  yard  formed  a 
structure  similar  to  a  drinking-cup,  and  the  sailors  ascended  into 
it  in  order  to  manage  the  sails,  to  obtain  a  wider  view,  and  to 
discharge  missiles.  In  large  ships  these  were  made  of  bronze 
and  would  hold  three  men :  they  were  furnished  with  pulleys  for 
hoisting  stones  and  projectiles  from  below.  The  portion  of  the 
mast  above  the  cup,  or  carchesium,  was  called  the  distaff,  and 
corresponded  to  the  modern  topmast.  The  sail  was  hoisted,  as 
at  present,  by  means  of  pulleys  and  a  hoop  sliding  up  and  down 
the  mast. 

The  SAILS  were  usually  square.  It  was  not  common  to  fur 
nish  more  than  one  sail  to  one  ship,  and  it  was  then  attached 
with  the  yard  to  the  great  mast.  Sometimes  each  of  the  two 
masts  of  a  trireme  had  two  sails,  which  were  spread  the  one  over 
the  other,  those  of  the  foremast  being  used  only  on  occasions 
when  great  speed  was  required.  It  does  not  appear  that  the 
triangular  or  lateen  sail,  so  prevalent  afterwards  among  the 
Romans,  was  ever  used  by  the  Greeks.  In  Homer's  time,  sails 
were  of  linen.  Subsequently,  sail-cloth  was  made  of  hemp, 
rushes,  and  leather.  Originally  white,  the  sails  of  the  ancients 
were  afterwards  dyed  of  various  colors.  Those  of  Alexander's 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Indus  fleet,  of  which  we  shall  hereafter  speak  more  particularly, 
were  blue,  white,  and  yellow.  Those  of  pirates  were  sea-green, 
and  those  of  Cleopatra,  at  the  battle  of  Actium,  were  purple. 

The  CORDAGE  used  was  of  various  sizes  and  strength.  In  the 
first  place,  thick  and  broad  ropes  ran  in  a  horizontal  direction 
around  the  ship  from  stem  to  stern,  for  the  purpose  of  binding 
the  whole  fabric  strongly  together.  They  ran  around  in  several 
circles  and  at  fixed  distances  from  each  other.  Their  number 
varied  according  to  the  size  of  the  ship,  a  trireme  usually  requir 
ing  four,  and  six  in  case  they  were  intended  for  very  boisterous 
weather.  These  ropes  were  always  held  in  readiness  in  the  Attic 
arsenals.  A  second-sized  rope  was  used  for  the  anchors,  while 
those  attached  to  the  masts,  sails,  and  yards  were  altogether 
lighter  and  made  with  greater  care.  One  of  these  ran  from  the 
top  of  the  mainmast  to  the  prow,  corresponding  to  the  modern 
mainstay. 

The  BULWARKS  were  artificially  elevated  beyond  the  height 
intended  by  the  builder  of  the  frame  by  means  of  a  wickerwork 
covered  with  skins.  These  served  as  a  protection  from  high 
waves,  and  also  as  a  breastwork  against  the  enemy.  They  appear 
to  have  been  fixed  upon  the  upper  edge  of  the  wooden  bulwark, 
and  to  have  been  removed  when  not  wanted.  Each  galley  had 
four,  two  of  which  were  "white,"  and  two  "made  of  hair." 
What  these  distinctions  were  is  quite  unknown. 

The  ANCHORS  of  Greek  vessels,  in  the  earlier  periods,  were 
stones  or  crates  of  sand,  but  soon  came  to  be  made  of  iron,  and 
to  be  formed  with  teeth  or  flukes.  The  Greeks  used  the  several 
expressions  of  lowering,  casting,  and  weighing  anchor  precisely 
as  we  do,  and  the  elliptical  phrase  "to  weigh"  meant  then,  as  now, 
to  "  set  sail."  Each  ship  had  several  anchors :  we  learn,  from  the 
twenty-seventh  chapter  of  Acts,  that  the  vessel  of  St.  Paul  had 
four.  The  last  and  heaviest  anchor  was  considered  "  sacred," 
in  the  same  way  as  it  is  now  regarded  as  "a  last  hope."  The 
sailors,  in  casting  it,  recommended  themselves  to  the  protection 


02  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  the  gods ;  and  it  was  rather  a  pretext  for  resorting  to  prayer 
than  an  instrument  reliable  from  its  strength  and  weight.  "  In 
our  day,"  says  an  eminent  writer  upon  the  art  of  ship-building, 
"  when  every  thing  is  calculated  and  weighed,  and,  even  in  this 
most  poetic  of  professions,  tends  to  the  driest  and  most  prosaic 
materialism,  instead  of  the  sacred  anchor,  cast  in  the  midst  of 
prayer  and  sacrifice,  we  have  the  anchor  of  eight  thousand 
pounds."  With  all  proper  deference  to  the  religious  spirit  of 
this  learned  commentator,  we  may  remark,  without  irreverence, 
that  even  the  most  "poetic"  of  mariners  would  prefer  a  single 
modern  best  bower  to  a  dozen  of  the  sacred  anchors  of  the 
Greeks ;  and  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that,  if  the  latter  them 
selves  had  been  acquainted  with  the  "  anchor  of  eight  thousand 
pounds,"  they  would  have  dispensed  with  both  prayer  and 
sacrifice.  Heaven  helps  those  who  help  themselves. 

Every  Greek  vessel  had  a  distinctive  name,  which  was  usually 
of  the  feminine  gender,  and  often  that  of  some  popular  heroine. 
In  many  cases,  the  name  of  the  builder  was  added. 

After  the  Trojan  "War,  the  establishment  of  Greek  colonies 
upon  foreign  coasts,  the  commercial  intercourse  with  these 
colonies,  and  the  very  prevalent  practice  of  piracy,  contributed 
largely  to  the  improvement  of  ships  and  of  navigation.  .For 
many  years  no  innovation  was  made  upon  the  custom  of  employ 
ing  ships  with  one  rank  of  rowers  on  each  side.  The  Erythraean 
Greeks  are  supposed  to  have  invented  the  biremes,  with  two 
ranks,  and  the  Corinthians  the  triremes,  with  three.  Themis- 
tocles,  in  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  persuaded  the  Athenians  to 
build  two  hundred  triremes,  for  the  purpose  of  attacking 
yEgina.  Even  at  this  period,  vessels  were  not  provided  with 
complete  decks,  some  having  partial  decks,  and  some  none  at 
all,  the  only  protection  for  the  men  consisting  in  the  bulwark. 
The  invention  of  decked  ships  is  ascribed  to  the  Thasians. 
After  Alexander  the  Great,  the  Rhodians  became  the  greatest 
maritime  power  in  Greece.  The  Colossus  of  Rhodes,  a  brazen 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  63 

statue  of  Apollo,  one  hundred  feet  high,  seems  to  have  been 
erected  in  assertion  of  their  commercial  supremacy,  for  the 
legend  is  that  it  stood  across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  that 
vessels  passed  between  its  legs. 

Navigation  still  remained  what  it  had  been  before,  the  Greeks 
seldom  venturing  into  the  open  sea,  and  considering  it  necessary 
to  remain  in  sight  of  the  coast  by  day  and  to  observe  the  rising 
and  setting  of  the  stars  by  night,  in  order  to  replace  the  land 
marks  no  longer  visible  in  the  darkness.  In  winter,  navigation 
was  suspended  altogether.  Rather  than  double  a  cape,  they  would 
drag  their  vessel  across  a  neck  of  land  from  one  sea  to  another, 
by  machines  contrived  for  the  purpose.  This  was  frequently 
done  across  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth.  The  ordinary  size  of  a 
war-galley  or  trireme  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  its 
complement  of  men  was  two  hundred  and  thirty;  and  its  speed 
in  smooth  water  and  with  a  favorable  wind  may  be  stated  as 
very  nearly  that  of  a  modern  steamboat. 

Dionysius  of  Syracuse  (405  B.C.)  is  sajkl  to  have  built  the  first 
quadrireme  and  quinquereme  in  Greece, — inventions  which  he 
probably  obtained  from  the  Carthaginians  and  Salaminians. 
Alexander  the  Great  built  ships  with  twelve  and  thirty  ranks 
of  oars.  Ptolemy  Philopator,  of  Egypt,  is  said  to  have  con 
structed  one  of  forty,  after  a  Greek  model.  Callixenus  has 
left  a  description  of  this  vessel ;  and  this,  having  been  tran 
scribed  by  Plutarch  and  Athenseus,  was,  until  very  lately,  thus 
supported  by  competent  authority,  regarded  as  quite  authentic. 
Late  investigations  have  shown  conclusively  that  the  vessel, 
with  the  proportions  given,  never  could  have  existed.  She  was 
said  to  have  had  forty  tiers  of  oars,  one  above  the  other.  It  is 
clear  that  the  uppermost  tiers  must  have  been  of  enormous 
length  to  reach  the  water,  and  we  find  their  length  stated,  in 
consequence,  at  seventy  feet.  Sixty  feet  of  this  length  must 
naturally  have  been  without  the  vessel,  leaving  ten  feet  of 
handle  within.  As  the  strength  of  no  one  man  would  be  suffi- 


64  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

cient  to  manage  an  oar  thus  unequally  poised,  the  fabulists 
assert  that  the  handles  were  made  of  lead,  that  the  equilibrium 
might  be  restored.  What  the  story  thus  gains  in  weight,  how 
ever,  it  certainly  loses  in  credibility.  Oars  of  seventy  feet 
were  out  of  the  question,  even  in  the  heroic  ages.  Their 
number  was  equally  extraordinary,  for  they  counted  no  less 
than  four  thousand,  and  were  managed  by  four  thousand  men. 
Besides  these,  there  were  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
combatants  collected  in  castles  and  behind  her  bulwarks.  She 
had  four  rudders,  each  forty-five  feet  long,  and  a  double  prow. 
This  last  feature  would  have  been  an  impediment  instead  of  an 
advantage,  as  the  re-entering  angles  of  the  two  prows  would 
have  presented  a  very  violent  resistance  to  the  water,  which, 
in  its  turn,  would  have  exerted  a  great  power  to  separate  them. 
Her  stern  was  said  to  have  been  decorated  with  resplendent 
paintings  of  terrible  and  fantastic  animals,  her  oars  to  have 
protruded  through  masses  of  foliage,  and,  as  if  she  was  not 
already  overladen,  her  hold  was  declared  to  have  contained 
huge  quantities  of  grain.  A  critical  comparison  has  shown  that 
this  famous  galley  could  not  have  turned  her  head  from  west  to 
east  without  describing  an  enormous  orbit  and  occupying  a  full 
hour  in  the  manoeuvre.  Indeed,  had  the  Egyptians  been  foolish 
enough  to  build  such  a  ship,  they  would  not  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  navigate  her. 

Nevertheless,  as  it  is  quite  clear  that  Ptolemy  did  construct  a 
galley  of  unusual  size  and  capacity,  modern  commentators  have 
earnestly  sought  to  explain  away  the  glaring  exaggerations  and 
impossibilities  of  the  description  given  by  Callixenus.  The 
chief  difficulty  lay  in  the  forty  tiers  of  oars  and  in  the  four 
thousand  oarsmen.  The  engraving  upon  the  opposite  page  gives 
a  representation  of  the  Ptolemy,  as  she  may  reasonably  be  sup 
posed  to  have  appeared.  Instead  of  forty  tiers,  she  has,  when 
thus  restored,  forty  groups  of  oars:  with  this  substitution,  and 
a  liberal  diminution  in  the  aggregate  number,  it  is  not  impro- 


66  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

were  equally  fond  of  exhibiting  them.  The  first  spectacle  of 
this  kind,  or  naumacJtia,  was  given  by  Julius  Caesar  upon  a 
lake  dug  for  the  purpose  in  the  Campus  Martius.  Augustus 
caused  a  lake  or  "stagnum"  to  be  made  for  a  similar  use. 
This  remained  as  the  permanent  scene  of  such  exhibitions.  The 
combatants  in  these  fights  were  usually  captives  or  criminals 
condemned  to  death,  who  fought  as  in  gladiatorial  combats, 
until  one  side  was  exterminated  or  spared  by  imperial  clemency. 
In  a  naumachia  given  by  Nero,  there  were  sea-monsters 
swimming  about  in  the  artificial  lake.  Claudius  ordered  a  naval 
battle  upon  Lake  Fucinus,  in  which  one  hundred  ships  and  nine 
teen  thousand  combatants  were  engaged.  Troops  of  nereids  were 
seen  swimming  about,  and  the  signal  for  attack  was  given  by  a 
silver  Triton,  who  was  made,  by  means  of  machinery,  to  blow  the 
alarum  upon  a  trumpet. 

We  now  proceed  to  narrate,  in  chronological  order,  the  very 
few  voyages  of  discovery  made  previous  to  the  Christian  era. 
These  were  those  of  Hanno  to  Sierra  Leone,  of  Sataspes  to 
Sahara,  of  Nearchus  from  the  Indus  to  the  Tigris,  of  Pytheas 
from  Massilia  to  Shetland,  and  of  Eudoxus  from  Cadiz  to  the 
Equator. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE      VOYAGE      OF      HANNO     THE     CARTHAGINIAN HE     SEES      CROCODILES,     APES, 

AND    VOLCANOES THE    VOYAGE    OF    HIMILCON    TO    AL-BION THE     VOYAGE   AND 

IGNOMINIOUS     FATE    OF     SATASPES    THE     PERSIAN THE     VOYAGE     OF     PYTHEAS 

THE     PHOCIAN THE     SACRED     PROMONTORY A     NEW     ATMOSPHERE AMBER — 

RETURN    HOME THE    VERACITY  OF    PYTHEAS'  NARRATIVE — THE    EXPEDITION  OF 

NEARCHUS    THE    MACEDONIAN STRANGE     PHENOMENA    IN    THE    HEAVENS THE 

ICTHYOPHAGI — HOUSES     BUILT    OF     THE     BONES    OF     WHALES — FISH     FLOUR A 

BATTLE  WITH  WHALES AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING THE  DISTANCE  TRAVERSED 

BY    NEARCHUS — THE    VOYAGE  OF    EUDOXUS   ALONG  THE  AFRICAN    COAST STATE 

OF    NAVIGATION    AT    THE    OPENING    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN    ERA. 

AT  a  period  which  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  settle  with  pre- 
.cision,  but  certainly  anterior  to  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  the 
Carthaginians,  then  in  the  height  of  their  maritime  and  com 
mercial  prosperity,  ordered  a  navigator  by  the  name  of  Hanno 
to  make  a  voyage  beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  to  found 
cities  along  the  western  shore  of  Africa.  He  set  sail  with  a 
fleet  of  sixty  vessels,  each  of  which  was  impelled  by  fifty  oars. 
He  carried  with  him  thirty  thousand  men  and  women,  with  abun 
dant  supplies  and  provisions.  Within  a  week  after  passing  the 
straits,  they  founded  a  city  and  erected  a  temple  to  Neptune ;  they 
also  established  five  trading  stations  along  the  coast.  They  saw 
a  race  of  people  called  Lixitse,  with  whom  they  formed  ties  of 
friendship,  and  by  whom  they  were  furnished  with  interpreters. 
Continuing  their  course,  they  found  another  race  dressed  in  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts,  who  repelled  them  from  the  shore  with 
stones  and  other  missiles.  They  next  came  to  the  mouth  of 
a  river  which  was  filled  with  crocodiles  and  hippopotami.  They 

07 


66  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

were  equally  fond  of  exhibiting  them.  The  first  spectacle  of 
this  kind,  or  naumachia,  was  given  by  Julius  Caesar  upon  a 
lake  dug  for  the  purpose  in  the  Campus  Martius.  Augustus 
caused  a  lake  or  "stagnum"  to  be  made  for  a  similar  use. 
This  remained  as  the  permanent  scene  of  such  exhibitions.  The 
combatants  in  these  fights  were  usually  captives  or  criminals 
condemned  to  death,  who  fought  as  in  gladiatorial  combats, 
until  one  side  was  exterminated  or  spared  by  imperial  clemency. 
In  a  naumachia  given  by  Nero,  there  were  sea-monsters 
swimming  about  in  the  artificial  lake.  Claudius  ordered  a  naval 
battle  upon  Lake  Fucinus,  in  which  one  hundred  ships  and  nine 
teen  thousand  combatants  were  engaged.  Troops  of  nereids  were 
seen  swimming  about,  and  the  signal  for  attack  was  given  by  a 
silver  Triton,  who  was  made,  by  means  of  machinery,  to  blow  the 
alarum  upon  a  trumpet. 

We  now  proceed  to  narrate,  in  chronological  order,  the  very 
few  voyages  of  discovery  made  previous  to  the  Christian  era. 
These  were  those  of  Hanno  to  Sierra  Leone,  of  Sataspes  to 
Sahara,  of  Nearchus  from  the  Indus  to  the  Tigris,  of  Pytheas 
from  Massilia  to  Shetland,  and  of  Eudoxus  from  Cadiz  to  the 
Equator. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE      VOYAGE      OF      HANNO     THE     CARTHAGINIAN HE     SEES      CROCODILES,     APES, 

AND    VOLCANOES THE    VOYAGE    OF    HIMILCON    TO    AL-BION THE     VOYAGE   AND 

IGNOMINIOUS     FATE    OF     SATASPES    THE     PERSIAN THE     VOYAGE     OF     PYTHEAS 

THE     PHOCIAN THE     SACRED     PROMONTORY A     NEW     ATMOSPHERE AMBER — 

RETURN    HOME — THE    VERACITY  OF    PYTHEAS'  NARRATIVE — THE    EXPEDITION  OF 

NEARCHUS    THE    MACEDONIAN — STRANGE     PHENOMENA    IN    THE    HEAVENS THE 

1CTHYOPHAGI — HOUSES     BUILT    OF     THE     BONES    OF     WHALES — FISH     FLOUR A 

BATTLE  WITH  WHALES AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING THE  DISTANCE  TRAVERSED 

BY    NEARCHUS — THE    VOYAGE  OF    EUDOXUS   ALONG  THE  AFRICAN    COAST STATE 

OF    NAVIGATION    AT    THE    OPENING    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN    ERA. 

AT  a  period  which  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  settle  with  pre- 
.cision,  but  certainly  anterior  to  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  the 
Carthaginians,  then  in  the  height  of  their  maritime  and  com 
mercial  prosperity,  ordered  a  navigator  by  the  name  of  Hanno 
to  make  a  voyage  beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  to  found 
cities  along  the  western  shore  of  Africa.  He  set  sail  with  a 
fleet  of  sixty  vessels,  each  of  which  was  impelled  by  fifty  oars. 
He  carried  with  him  thirty  thousand  men  and  women,  with  abun 
dant  supplies  and  provisions.  Within  a  week  after  passing  the 
straits,  they  founded  a  city  and  erected  a  temple  to  Neptune ;  they 
also  established  five  trading  stations  along  the  coast.  They  saw 
a  race  of  people  called  Lixitae,  with  whom  they  formed  ties  of 
friendship,  and  by  whom  they  were  furnished  with  interpreters. 
Continuing  their  course,  they  found  another  race  dressed  in  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts,  who  repelled  them  from  the  shore  with 
stones  and  other  missiles.  They  next  came  to  the  mouth  of 
a  river  which  was  filled  with  crocodiles  and  hippopotami.  They 

G7 


68  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

soon  arrived  at  a  coast  edged  with  high  mountains  covered  with 
trees,  the  wood  of  which  was  odoriferous  and  variously  tinted. 
Beyond  was  an  immense  opening  of  the  sea,  bordered  by 
plains  on  which  they  saw  many  blazing  fires.  Then  they 
came  to  a  large  bay,  in  which  was  an  island  enclosing  a  salt 
water  lake,  in  which,  again,  was  another  island.  Entering  this 
lake  in  the  night,  they  saw  huge  fires  burning  and  heard  the 
sounds  of  musical  instruments  and  the  cries  of  innumerable 
human  beings.  They  next  reached  the  fiery  region  of  Thymia- 
mata,  whence  torrents  of  flame  poured  down  into  the  sea.  Here 
the  heat  of  the  earth  was  such  that  the  foot  could  not  rest 
upon  it.  After  four  days'  farther  sail,  they  again  found  the 
land  at  night  enveloped  in  flames.  In  the  midst  of  these  fires 
appeared  one  much  more  lofty  than  the  rest :  this,  when  seen  by 
daylight,  proved  to  be  a  very  tall  mountain,  called  the  Chariot 
of  the  Gods.  They  soon  met  with  a  rude  description  of  people, 
who  had  rough  skins,  and  among  whom  the  females  were  much 
more  numerous  than  the  males :  the  interpreters  called  them 
G-orillce.  They  endeavored  to  catch  some  of  them,  but  only 
succeeded  in  capturing  three  females,  who  made  so  violent  a  re 
sistance,  that  they  were  obliged  to  kill  them  and  strip  off  their 
skins,  which  they  carried  back  to  Carthage.  Being  out  of 
provisions  at  this  point,  they  were  unable  to  pursue  their 
voyage,  and  returned  home. 

This  narrative,  as  given  by  Hanno  himself,  hardly  fills  two 
octavo  pages  :  volumes  of  commentaries  have  been  written  upon 
it  by  geographers  and  antiquaries.  The  most  probable  of  the 
various  hypotheses  formed  upon  it,  is,  that  Hanno's  voyage 
extended  to  Sherbro  Sound,  a  little  south  of  Sierra  Leone. 
The  features  of  man  and  nature,  as  described  by  Hanno,  are  to 
be  found  in  Tropical  Africa  only :  Ethiopians  or  negroes ; 
Gorillse,  who  are  clearly  apes,  or  orang-outangs ;  rivers  so  large 
as  to  contain  crocodiles  and  river-horses.  The  great  conflagra 
tions  of  the  grass,  too,  and  the  music  and  dancing  prolonged 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  69 

through  the  night,  are  phenomena  Avhich  have  been  observed 
only  in  the  negro  territories.  But  this  hypothesis  is  not 
accepted  by  all  geographers,  one  of  whom  gives  to  Hanno's 
course  an  extent  of  three  thousand  miles,  while  another  limits 
it  to  less  than  seven  hundred. 

While  Hanno  was  thus  exploring  the  western  coast  of  Africa, 
another  Carthaginian,  named  Himilcon,  was  sent  by  his  country 
men  to  the  North  of  Europe.  From  a  very  vague  description 
of  his  voyage  given  in  a  Latin  poem  entitled  Ora  Maritima,  it 
is  plain  that  he  crossed  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  found,  upon 
islands,  as  is  asserted,  but  probably  upon  the  mainland,  a  race 
of  athletic  people  who  went  fearlessly  to  sea  in  barks  made  of 
skins  sewed  together.  They  crossed,  in  the  space  of  two  days, 
to  a  place  called  the  Sacred  Island,  (Ireland,)  which  was  not  far 
from  another  island,  named  Al-Bion,  (England.)  No  further 
details  of  this  expedition  have  been  preserved. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  the  Persian  sway  over  the  eastern 
coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  towards  the  close  of  the  fifth 
century  B.C.,  the  exploration  of  Africa  became  the  peculiar 
province  of  the  Persian  monarchs.  But  this  nation  labored 
under  an  unconquerable  aversion  for  the  sea,  and  the  only  mari 
time  effort  of  theirs  on  record  was  entirely  casual  in  its  origin, 
and  futile  in  its  results.  It  was  as  follows,  as  recorded  by 
Herodotus : 

Sataspes,  a  Persian  nobleman,  having  committed  a  crime 
punishable  with  death,  was  condemned  by  Xerxes  to  be  cruci 
fied.  One  of  his  friends  persuaded  the  monarch  to  commute 
the  sentence  into  a  voyage  around  Africa,  which,  he  said,  was 
much  more  severe,  and  might  result  advantageously  to  the 
nation.  Sataspes  obtained  a  vessel  and  recruited  a  crew  in 
Egypt,  and,  sailing  through  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  bent  his 
course  southward.  He  is  represented  as  having  beat  about  for 
many  weeks,  and  probably  reached  the  shores  of  the  Great 
Saharan  Desert.  The  aspect  of  this  formidable  and  tempest- 


70  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

lashed  coast  might  well  appall  an  amateur  navigator  accustomed 
to  the  luxurious  indolence  of  a  Persian  court.  He  seems  to 
have  preferred  crucifixion  to  circumnavigation,  for  he  at  once 
measured  back  his  course  to  the  Straits.  He  gave  an  incoherent 
account  of  his  adventures  to  Xerxes,  attributing  his  failure  to 
the  interference  of  an  insurmountable  obstacle,  the  nature  of 
which  he  was  unable  to  explain.  Xerxes  would  listen  to  no 
excuse,  and  ordered  the  original  sentence  to  be  executed  forth 
with.  Authorities  differ  as  to  the  fate  of  Sataspes, — one  assert 
ing  that  he  suffered  the  ignominious  death  to  which  he  was  con 
demned,  and  another  alleging  that  he  made  his  escape  to  the 
island  of  Samos. 


THE    SACRED     PROMONTORY. 


A  colony  which  had  been  established  at  Massilia — now  Mar 
seilles — about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  by  the  Phocians, 
was,  in  the  year  340  B.C.,  at  the  height  of  its  commercial  pros 
perity.  The  citizens,  being  desirous  of  extending  their  maritime 
relations,  sent,  at  this  period,  upon  an  expedition  to  the  North  of 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


71 


Europe,  through  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  a  learned  geographer 
and  astronomer  by  the  name  of  Pytheas.  He  started  with  a 
single  ship,  the  finances  of  the  city  not  permitting  a  larger  outlay 
of  means. 

He  passed  the  Pillars  on  the  sixteenth  day  from  Massilia ; 
and  on  the  twentieth  he  arrived  at  the  Sacred  Promontory,  the 
extreme  western  point  of  Iberia  or  Spain.  A  temple  to 
Hercules  had  been  erected  at  this  spot.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
promontory  declared,  during  the  time  of  Pytheas,  and,  indeed, 
for  two  hundred  years  afterwards,  that  as  the  sun  plunged  at 
evening  into  the  sea,  they  heard  a  hissing  like  that  of  a  red- 
hot  body  suddenly  dropped  into  water. 

Following  the  coasts  of  Iberia  and  of  Celtica,  he  came  to  the 
point  of  land  now  known  as  Finisterre,  in  France,  and  the 
promontory  Calbium.  Turning  to  the  east,  he  was  surprised  to 


PLAN    OF    PYTHEAS'    VOYAGE. 


find  himself  in  a  wide  gulf,  with  Celtica  on  his  right,  and  an 
immense  island  on  his  left.  The  gulf  was  the  British  Channel, 
and  the  island  the  Al-Bion  that  Himilcon  had  vaguely  dis 
cerned  some  centuries  before.  It  was  at  this  point  that  Pytheas 
may  be  said  to  have  begun  his  career ;  and  the  discovery  of 
Great  Britain  may  safely  be  attributed  to  him. 

He  described  the  island  as  having  the  form  of  an  isosceles 
triangle,  as  may  be  seen  upon  the  foregoing  plan.  Three  pro 
montories  formed  the  three  angles, — Belerium  being  now  Land's 


72  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

End,  Cantium  Cape  Pepperness,  and  Orcas  Duncansby  Head. 
He  found  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  coast  industrious  and 
sociable,  peaceable,  honest,  and  sober.  They  raised  wheat  and 
worked  rich  mines  of  tin.  As  he  sailed  northward,  along  the 
eastern  coast,  he  noticed  that  the  days  grew  sensibly  longer ; 
and  at  Point  Orcas,  nineteen  hours  elapsed  between  the  rising  and 
the  setting  of  the  sun.  He  sailed  still  northward,  and  six  days 
after  leaving  Orcas  he  came  to  an  island,  or  a  continent, — he 
knew  not  which, — which  he  called  Thule.  As  he  found  he  could 
go  no  farther  to  the  north,  he  spoke  of  this  spot  as  Ultima 
Thule,  an  expression  which  has  passed  into  the  figurative  lan 
guage  of  all  modern  nations  as  one  denoting  any  remote  point. 
Thule  is  generally  considered  to  have  been  Shetland,  although 
theories  have  been  ardently  advocated  making  it  respectively 
Iceland,  Sweden,  and  Jutland. 

The  narrative  of  Pytheas,  which  has  been  thus  far  clear  and 
reliable,  assumes  at  this  point  a  very  fabulous  aspect.  He 
declares  that  north  of  Thule  there  was  neither  earth,  nor 
sea,  nor  air.  A  sort  of  dense  concretion  of  all  the  elements 
occupied  space  and  enveloped  the  world.  He  compared  it  to 
the  thick,  viscid  animal  substance  called  pulmo  marinus,  a  sort 
of  mollusk  or  medusa.  He  said  that  this  substance  was  the 
basis  of  the  universe,  and  that  in  it  earth,  air,  and  sky  hung,  as 
it  were,  suspended.  This  illusion  has  been  explained  by  the 
dreary  spectacle  of  fogs,  mists,  rains,  and  tempests  which  at 
this  point  of  his  voyage  must  have  met  the  gaze  of  the  daring 
navigator.  It  would  have  been  difficult  for  any  mind,  in  those 
early  ages,  to  have  been  on  its  guard  against  the  sinister 
impressions  likely  to  result  from  the  contemplation  of  a  scene 
so  appalling.  It  must  be  remembered  that  Pytheas  was  accus 
tomed  to  the  pure  and  transparent  atmosphere,  the  dazzling 
sky,  and  the  phosphorescent  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  It 
would  have  been  astonishing  if  a  man  educated  among  the 
splendors  of  an  almost  tropical  climate  had  not  been  oppressed 


MAN    UPOX    THE    SEA.  73 

by  influences  so  gloomy.  It  was  the  belief  of  all  early  navi 
gators  that  a  point  would  be  found  somewhere  without  the  Pillars 
of  Hercules  beyond  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  penetrate. 
While  timid  adventurers  declared  they  had  arrived  at  this  point 
hardly  a  week's  sail  from  the  Straits,  rfnd  declared  that  an  atmo 
sphere  of  mist,  darkness,  and  gigantic  sea-weed  barred  their 
passage,  Pytheas  did  not  allow  his  imagination  to  be  affected 
or  his  courage  to  be  shaken  till  he  found  himself  in  presence 
of  the  sombre  and  formidable  scenery  of  what,  with  true  geo 
graphical  propriety,  he  denominated  "Thule  and  her  utmost 
isles." 

Leaving  his  animal  atmosphere  behind  him,  Pytheas  returned 
to  Orcas  and  from  thence  to  Cantium.  Instead  of  following  his 
former  track  through  the  British  Channel  homeward,  he  turned 
to  the  eastward,  and  arrived,  in  a  few  days'  sail,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Rhine.  He  found  the  country  here  inhabited  by  a  race 
of  fierce  barbarians.  Upon  the  shores  of  a  vast  gulf,  beyond, 
dwelt  the  Teutons  and  the  Guttones.  In  this  gulf  was  an  island 
named  Abalcia,  upon  whose  shores  the  waves  deposited,  in  spring, 
immense  quantities  of  yellow  amber,  which  the  inhabitants 
burned  instead  of  wood,  or  sold  for  fuel  to  their  neighbors  the 
Teutons.  Pytheas  pursued  his  voyage  as  far  as  a  river  named 
Tanais,  now  supposed  to  be  either  the  Elbe  or  the  Oder.  He 
considered  this  stream  to  be  the  eastern  boundary  of  Celtica, 
in  which  he  included  Germania.  He  now  turned  his  face  home 
ward,  and,  coasting  along  the  shores  of  Celtica  and  Iberia, 
arrived  without  accident  or  adventure  at  Massilia.  He  had 
sailed  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand  stadia,  or  eleven 
thousand  miles :  the  duration  of  the  .expedition  was  less  than 
a  year. 

Geographers  subsequent  to  Pytheas  strove  zealously  to  dis 
credit  his  assertions.  One  denied  the  voyage  altogether ;  another 
questioned  the  veracity  of  the  narrative.  Strabo  was  particu 
larly  hostile  to  Pytheas,  whom  he  said  he  would  prove  "a  liar 


74  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

of  the  first  magnitude."  He  was  thus  led  to  make  long  quota 
tions  from  his  descriptions  for  the  purpose  of  refuting  them.  As 
the  original  account  given  by  Pytheas  is  not  extant,  the  world  is 
indebted  to  the  skepticism  of  Strabo  for  all  that  it  knows  of  one 
of  the  most  interesting'  and  daring  maritime  enterprises  of 
antiquity. 

In  the  year  326  before  Christ,  Alexander  of  Macedon,  having 
accomplished  the  conquest  of  Persia,  and  having  invaded  Hin- 
dostan  by  the  north,  found  himself  compelled,  by  a  mutiny  of 
his  troops,  to  arrest  his  course  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
river  Indus.  He  was  here  seized  with  a  desire  to  explore  the 
lower  course  of  that  river,  and  afterwards  the  southern  shores 
of  Asia,  a  tract  of  coast  with  which  the  Greeks  were  entirely 
unacquainted.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  partly  explo 
ration,  and  partly  to  convey  a  portion  of  the  army  back  to 
Babylon  upon  the  river  Euphrates.  The  dangers  of  the  enter 
prise  and  the  improbability  of  success  deterred  the  greater  part 
of  the  naval  officers  from  attempting  it,  as  neither  the  Arabian 
Sea  nor  the  Persian  Gulf  had  ever  been  traversed  before. 
Nearchus,  the  admiral  of  the  fleet,  proposed  several  candidates 
for  the  perilous  honor,  who  variously  excused  themselves. 
Nearchus  at  last  proffered  his  own  services,  which,  after  some 
hesitation,  were  accepted.  This  selection  of  a  commander 
tranquillized  the  soldiers  and  sailors  intended  for  the  expedition ; 
for  they  felt  that  Alexander  would  not  have  sent  his  intimate 
friend  upon  a  voyage  from  which  he  would  not  be  likely  to 
return.  The  splendor  of  the  preparations,  the  beauty  of  the 
vessels,  the  confidence  of  the  officers,  also  went  far  towards  dissi 
pating  their  fears.  At  the  word  of  Alexander,  says  a  modern 
poet, — 

"  The  pines  descend  ;  the  thronging  masts  aspire; 
The  novel  sails  swell  beauteous  o'er  the  curves 
Of  Indus:  to  the  moderator's  song 
The  oars  keep  time,  while  bold  Nearchus  guides 
Aloft  the  gallics.     On  the  foremost  prow 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  75 

The  monarch  from  his  golden  goblet  pours 

A  full  libation  to  the  gods,  and  calls 

By  name  the  mighty  rivers  through  whose  course 

He  seeks  the  sea." 

Alexander  accompanied  his  fleet  to  the  delta  of  the  Indus,  from 
whence  he  obtained  a  view  of  the  gulf.  He  then  returned  to 
lead  his  men  across  Gedrosia,  Caramania,  and  Persis  to  Babylon. 
Nearchus  then  set  sail,  after  offering  sacrifices  to  Neptune  and 
Jupiter  Salvator,  and  ordering  a  series  of  games  and  gymnastic 
exercises.  The  voyage  thus  undertaken  was  an  event  of  real  im 
portance  in  the  history  of  navigation :  it  opened  a  route  between 
Europe  and  the  extremities  of  Asia.  It  was  the  source  of  the 
discoveries  made  in  later  times  by  the  Portuguese,  and  the  pri 
mary,  though  remote,  cause  of  the  successful  establishment  of 
the  British  in  India. 


PLAN     OF     THE     VOYAGE     OF     NEARCHUS. 


At  the  very  mouth  of  the  river  they  met  a  formidable 
obstacle, — a  rocky  bar  over  which  the  waves  broke  with  extreme 
violence.  Through  this  bar,  in  its  softest  parts,  they  cut  a 
canal  one-third  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  at  high  tide  passed 
through  it  with  the  fleet.  They  had  hardly  reached  the  open 
ocean  before  a  heavy  gale  drove  them  into  an  indentation  of 
land  protected  by  an  island :  to  this  natural  harbor  Nearchus 
gave  the  name  of  Alexander.  Here  he  caused  a  camp  to  be 
laid  out  and  entrenched,  and  remained  for  twenty-four  days,  the 
soldiers  subsisting  chiefly  on  shell-fish.  When  the  gale  abated 


76  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

they  again  embarked,  meeting  with  constant  adventures  and 
difficulties  upon  their  way.  One  day  they  would  pass  through 
huge  menacing  rocks,  so  near  that  they  touched  them  with  their 
oars  on  either  side.  On  another  they  would  be  compelled,  on 
landing  for  water,  to  ascend  for  miles  into  the  interior  before 
finding  fresh-water  sources.  A  storm  caused  two  galleys  and  a 
vessel  to  founder,  the  crews  of  which,  however,  succeeded  in 
swimming  to  shore.  Nearchus  caused  his  whole  army  to  land 
at  this  point,  for  they  needed  repose,  and  his  shattered  fleet 
required  repairs.  He  met  with  Leonatus,  whom  Alexander  had 
detached  from  the  main  body  of  the  army  to  follow  the  coasts 
and  keep  up  a  communication  with  Nearchus.  Wheat  was  also 
sent  to  this  spot  by  Alexander  for  the  fleet,  and  each  vessel 
took  a  supply  sufficient  for  ten  days.  Nearchus  exchanged  such 
sailors  and  soldiers  as  had  proved  inefficient,  for  fresh  men 
selected  from  the  division  of  Leonatus. 

At  this  point  the  narrative  becomes  strongly  tinged  with  the 
usual  exaggerations  of  the  early  navigators.  Nearchus  asserts 
that  he  observed  strange  phenomena  in  the  heavens.  When  the 
sun  was  in  the  meridian,  he  says,  no  shadow  was  projected,  and 
the  stars  which  they  were  accustomed  to  see  above  them  were 
now  crouching  close  to  the  horizon ;  others,  that  had  never  before 
disappeared  from  the  sky,  now  rose  and  set  at  intervals.  The 
assertion  in  regard  to  shadows  at  noon  is  evidently  a  fabri 
cation.  Enough  was  known  of  astronomy  and  the  motions  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  in  the  time  of  Nearchus,  to  convince  the 
learned  that  there  must  be  a  point  where  no  shadow  would 
be  cast  by  a  body  directly  beneath  the  sun  at  the  summer  sol 
stice  ;  and  Nearchus,  with  a  vanity  quite  usual  in  the  conquerors 
and  adventurers  of  those  times,  chose  to  assert,  and  he  perhaps 
believed,  that  he  had  seen  this  singular  phenomenon.  Two 
circumstances  will  show  the  inaccuracy  of  his  statement.  The 
alleged  appearance  took  place  in  the  middle  of  the  month  of 
November,  and  twenty-five  degrees  north  of  the  equator.  Even 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  77 

had  Nearchus  been  at  this  spot  in  midsummer,  he  would  have 
seen  shadows  of  very  respectable  length.  Upon  the  coast  of 
Gedrosia  he  found  a  people  called  Icthyophagi,  or  Fish-eaters. 
The  mutton  here  tasted  of  fish,  and  Nearchus  discovered  that 
the  sheep  eat  fish  as  well  as  the  inhabitants,  for  the  land  yielded 
no  pasturage. 

In  one  of  the  villages  of  the  Fish-eaters  Nearchus  engaged 
a  pilot  who  undertook  to  guide  him  as  far  as  Caramania.  The 
aspect  of  the  coast  now  became  less  repulsive,  and  palm-trees, 
myrtles,  and  flowers  grew  wild  upon  the  hill-sides.  Such  was 
the  delight  of  the  Macedonians  at  this  sight,  that  they  landed 
and  wove  garlands  and  wreaths  of  the  foliage  for  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  the  natives.  Farther  on,  at  a  spot  where  the  in 
habitants  made  them  presents  of  roasted  tunny-fish — the  first 
cooked  fish  they  had  yet  received  from  the  Icthyophagi — and 
where  they  noticed  wheat-fields,  they  landed,  and,  after  taking 
possession  of  the  village,  demanded  the  surrender  of  all  their 
wheat.  The  people  made  a  feeble  resistance,  and  then  gave  up 
all  the  flour  they  possessed, — not  wheat  flour,  but  fish  flour, — 
flour  made  by  reducing  fish  to  powder,  as  we  make  flour  by 
pulverizing  the  kernels  of  wheat. 

The  coast  again  becoming  almost  desert,  the  crew  were  obliged 
to  eat  the  tender  buds  of  palm-trees,  and  on  one  occasion 
were  glad  to  devour  seven  camels  which  they  were  fortunate 
enough  to  encounter.  Besides  the  dangers  of  famine,  Nearchus 
had  to  contend  with  legions  of  whales,  many  of  them  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  feet  long, — a  prodigious  size  for  inland  seas  like 
the  Persian  Gulf.  One  day  he  noticed  a  jet  of  water  of  great 
height  and  violence,  and  soon  the  air  was  filled  with  spray 
tossed  up  by  a  sportive  herd  of  these  monsters.  The  frightened 
sailors  let  drop  their  oars:  but  Nearchus  encouraged  them  and 
dissipated  their  fears.  He  placed  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  abreast 
in  a  single  line,  and  ordered  them  to  advance  simultaneously  at 
full  speed,  as  in  a  naval  combat,  and,  upon  approaching  the 


F8  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

whales,  to  terrify  them  by  shouts  and  the  din  of  trumpets.  At 
a  given  signal,  the  vessels  started  and  dashed  forward  upon  the 
cetaceous  army :  the  whales  plunged  into  the  abysses  of  the  water, 
and,  reappearing  at  the  sterns  of  the  fleet,  sent  up  a  shower  of 
spirts  in  derision  of  their  timorous  enemy.  Nearchus  found 
these  fish  so  abundant  that  large  numbers  of  them  were  stranded 
in  every  storm:  the  inhabitants  built  houses  of  their  bones, 
using  the  larger  bones  for  posts,  planks,  and  doors;  the  jaw 
bones  furnished  an  excellent  thatch,  or  roofing  material.  He 
also  saw  huts  constructed  of  the  back-bones  of  smaller  fish. 

The  fleet  now  reached  the  coast  of  Caramania,  after  passing 
an  island  supposed  to  be  inhabited  by  an  enchantress  very  much 
like  the  Circe  of  the  Greek  fable,  who  was  said  to  seduce  navi 
gators  by  the  promise  of  voluptuous  pleasures  and  then  change 
them  into  fish.  Nearchus  now  found  his  distresses  nearly  at  an 
end,  as  the  soil  was  productive  of  grain  and  fruit,  and  as  the 
streams  yielded  an  abundance  of  water.  He  soon  came  in  view 
of  a  vast  promontory  on  the  Arabian  side,  (Cape  Mussendoun,) 
which  seemed  completely  to  close  the  entrance  to  the  Persian 
Gulf.  The  sailors,  weary  of  their  long  voyage,  earnestly  be 
sought  Nearchus  to  land  here  and  to  march  across  the  country 
to  Babylon.  Nearchus  insisted  that  this  would  not  be  fulfilling 
the  intentions  of  Alexander,  whose  command  it  was  to  survey 
every  portion  of  the  coast  from  the  Indus  to  the  Euphrates. 
They  doubled  the  cape,  therefore,  and  entered  the  Persian  Gulf. 
Keeping  close  to  the  northern  shore,  they  came  at  last  to  a  tract 
of  territory  inhabited  by  friendly  races  and  yielding  an  abun 
dance  of  every  fruit  except  the  olive.  They  landed  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Anamis, — the  modern  Minab, — and  refreshed  themselves 
after  their  long  hardships.  They  reposed  under  the  shade  of  palms, 
and  conversed  gayly  of  the  dangers  they  had  escaped  and  the 
wonders  they  had  seen.  A  party  wandered  from  the  coast  towards 
the  interior,  and,  to  their  surprise  and  joy,  met  a  man  clothed 
in  the  Greek  chlamys  and  speaking  the  Greek  language.  They 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  79 

asked  him  who  he  was  and  what  country  he  was  from.  He  re 
plied  that  he  belonged  to  the  army  of  Alexander,  and  that  the 
camp  was  not  far  off.  Transported  with  delight,  they  took  the 
stranger  to  Nearchus,  whom  he  told  that  Alexander  was  at  five 
days'  journey  from  the  sea. 

Nearchus,  upon  receiving  this  intelligence,  caused  his  ships  to 
be  drawn  on  shore,  a  rampart  to  be  built  round  them,  and  repairs 
to  be  commenced  upon  them,  while  he,  Archius,  a  lieutenant, 
and  six  sailors  should  set  out  to  find  the  camp  of  the  king.  As 
they  approached  the  outposts,  soldiers  sent  forward  to  meet 
them  by  Alexander,  who  had  been  informed  of  their  coming,  did 
not  recognise  them,  on  account  of  their  changed  dress  and  hag 
gard  aspect.  Alexander  received  them  with  kindness,  but  in 
deep  sorrow,  for  he  had  conceived  the  idea  that  the  eight  persons 
before  him  were  all  that  had  survived  the  perils  of  the  sea. 
"You  two  have  returned,"  he  said,  "you  and  Archius,  safe  and 
sound,  and  this  alone  renders  the  loss  of  my  fleet  endurable  : 
tell  me  in  what  manner  perished  my  vessels  and  my  army." 
Upon  learning  the  safety  of  the  entire  expedition,  he  is  said  to 
have  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  to  have  sworn  that  he  de 
rived  more  pleasure  from  this  event  than  from  the  entire  con 
quest  of  Asia.  He  offered  sacrifices  to  Jupiter,  Hercules,  Apollo, 
and  Neptune.  He  then  proposed  that  Nearchus  should  repose 
from  his  trials,  and  that  another  should  conduct  the  fleet  to  Susa, 
the  capital  of  Susiana.  Nearchus  thought  it  unjust,  however, 
that  the  glory  of  completing  a  task  which  he  had  so  successfully 
begun  should  be  taken  from  him,  and  retained  the  command. 
He  was  obliged  to  fight  his  way  back  to  the  sea  through  warlike 
and  hostile  tribes. 

The  rest  of  the  voyage,  along  the  coasts  of  Caramania  and 
Persis, — the  modern  Ears, — was  comparatively  easy,  orders 
having  been  given  by  Alexander  that  Nearchus  should  find  at 
intervals  supplies  of  every  species  of  provisions.  On  the 
24th  of  February,  in  the  year  325  B.C.,  the  fleet  arrived  at 


80  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

the  mouth  of  the  Euphrates.  Nearchus  learned  that  Alexander 
had  already  reached  Susa,  which  was  situated  some  forty  miles 
towards  the  interior  upon  the  borders  of  the  Tigris.  He  there 
fore  ascended  that  river,  and,  at  a  bridge  newly  thrown  over  it 
for  the  passage  of  Alexander's  army,  the  junction  of  the  long- 
separated  naval  and  land  forces  took  place.  Nearchus  received 
a  crown  of  gold  for  his  success  in  the  expedition ;  the  pilot  was 
rewarded  with  a  crown  of  smaller  size,  and  the  debts  of  the 
army  were  discharged  by  Alexander. 

The  voyage  had  occupied  nearly  five  months,  and  the  distance 
sailed  was  not  far  from  fifteen  hundred  miles,  if  the  sinuosities 
and  indentations  of  the  coast  are  included,  and  twelve  hundred 
in  a  straight  line.  Half  of  this  period  of  five  months  must  be 
considered  to  have  been  spent  upon  the  land,  in  surveys  of  the 
coast,  in  repairs  of  the  vessels,  and  in  forays  in  search  of  food 
and  water.  The  same  route  is  now  usually  traversed  by  mer 
chant  vessels  in  the  space  of  three  weeks.  Nothing  can  give  a 
better  idea  of  the  immense  service  Nearchus  was  thought  to 
have  rendered  the  state,  than  the  fact  that  it  was  in  the  con 
vivialities  of  a  banquet  in  his  honor,  a  year  later,  that  Alexander 
abandoned  himself  to  the  excesses  which  resulted  in  his  death. 

Eudoxus,  the  next  navigator  in  chronological  order,  was  a 
native  of  Cyzicus,  in  Mysia,  and  was  sent  by  its  citizens, 
in  the  third  century  B.C.,  upon  a  mission  connected  with  the 
promotion  of  geographical  science,  to  Alexandria,  then  the  seat 
of  maritime  enterprise.  He  became  strongly  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  exploration  and  investigation  which  reigned  there,  and 
succeeded  in  inducing  Ptolemy  Euergetes,  the  reigning  king,  to 
fit  out  a  naval  armament,  and  to  send  it  under  his  command 
upon  an  expedition  down  the  Arabian  Gulf  or  Red  Sea.  He 
appears  to  have  made  a  successful  voyage,  for  he  returned  with 
a  cargo  of  aromatics  and  precious  stones.  It  is  supposed  that 
he  sailed  down  the  Red  Sea,  and,  passing  out  by  the  Straits  of 
Babelmandel,  followed  the  southern  coast  of  Arabia  as  far  as 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  81 

the  Persian  Gulf:  it  is  altogether  unlikely  that  he  reached  the 
shores  of  India.  Euergetes  plundered  him  of  his  wealth  upon 
his  return,  but  died  soon  after,  leaving  the  throne  to  his  widow 
Cleopatra. 

The  queen  took  Eudoxus  into  favor,  and  sent  him  upon  a 
fresh  voyage.  He  seems  to  have  been  driven  by  unfavorable 
winds  upon  the  coast  of  Abyssinia,  where  he  made  advan 
tageous  bargains  with  the  inhabitants.  He  rescued  from  the 
water  a  fragment  of  a  wreck, — the  prow  of  a  vessel  which,  from 
a  sculpture  representing  the  figure  of  a  horse,  seemed  to  have 
come  from  the  West.  This  prow  was  exhibited  by  Eudoxus 
in  the  harbor  of  Alexandria,  and  was  declared  by  some  mari 
ners  from  Cadiz  to  be  of  the  precise  form  peculiar  to  large  vessels 
which  went  from  that  port  to  fish  upon  the  coast  of  Mauritania,  or 
Morocco.  It  was  evident,  therefore,  to  the  ardent  mind  of  Eu 
doxus,  that  this  fragment  of  a  wrecked  vessel,  left  to  the  mercy  of 
the  waves,  had  performed  the  grand  maritime  problem  of  antiquity, 
— the  circuit  of  Africa.  He  abandoned  himself  with  enthusiastic 
credulity  to  the  enticing  hope  that  he  might  himself  succeed  in 
achieving  this  darling  object  of  the  ambition  of  princes,  kings, 
and  states. 

He  determined  to  renounce  the  deceitful  patronage  of  courts, 
and  to  start  with  a  new  expedition  from  Cadiz.  He  went  thither 
by  way  of  Massilia  and  other  trading  settlements,  and  urged 
all  who  were  animated  by  the  spirit  of  progress  to  follow  him. 
He  thus  succeeded  in  equipping  an  armada,  consisting  of  one 
ship  and  two  large  boats,  on  board  of  which  were  not  only  goods 
and  provisions  and  the  necessary  crews,  but  artisans,  scientific 
men,  and  musicians.  The  very  ardor  and  extravagance  of  their 
hopes,  and  perhaps,  too,  the  undue  gayety  in  which  they  took 
their  departure,  unfitted  them  to  encounter  the  dangers  and 
hardships  of  African  discovery.  The  crew  were  frightened 
at  the  swell  of  the  open  sea  through  which  Eudoxus  wished 
to  make  his  way,  and  insisted  upon  following  the  shore,  accord- 


82  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

ing  to  the  usual  cautious  method  of  those  days.  The  con 
sequence  was  that  the  ship  was  stranded,  and  the  cargo  was 
with  difficulty  saved.  Eudoxus  prosecuted  the  voyage  in  a 
single  ship  of  lighter  construction,  till  he  came  to  a  race  of 
people  who  spoke,  as  he  thought,  the  same  language  as  those  he 
had  met  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  continent.  Thinking  this 
discovery  enough  for  the  expedition  in  its  now  enfeebled  state, 
he  returned  to  Spain  and  equipped  another  small  fleet,  better 
fitted  to  buffet  the  waves  of  the  open  sea. 

He  again  set  forth ;  but  the  narrative,  as  handed  down  by 
Strabo,  breaks  off  at  this  point,  and  we  are  without  information 
upon  the  results  of  the  enterprise.  It  is  true  that  rumor  and 
fable  have  supplied  the  place  of  authentic  facts,  and  that  Eu 
doxus  is  described  by  one  version  as  having  actually  circum 
navigated  Africa ;  by  another,  as  having  come  to  a  race  of 
people  who  were  born  dumb ;  and  by  another,  as  having  fallen 
in  with  a  nation  who  had  no  mouths,  but  received  their  food 
through  an  orifice  in  the  nose.  These  exaggerations  are  un 
worthy  of  notice ;  and  they  do  not  seem  to  have  thrown  dis 
credit  upon  the  account  of  the  earlier  experience  of  Eudoxus, 
which  ranks  among  the  most  esteemed  narratives  of  ancient 
maritime  adventure. 

We  have  thus  given,  in  some  detail,  descriptions  of  all  the 
noteworthy  experiments  in  navigation  previous  to  the  birth  of 
Christ.  Two  features,  it  will  be  at  once  remarked,  charac 
terized  all  these  efforts: — 1st,  The  only  reliable  propelling  force 
continued  to  lie  in  the  oars;  and,  2d,  no  sailor  ventured  out 
of  sight  of  land,  unless,  as  when  crossing  the  Mediterranean, 
he  knew  that  other  lands  lay  beyond  the  visible  horizon.  We 
close  this  division  of  the  subject  with  the  general  observation, 
that  the  opening  of  the  Christian  era  found  the  world  almost 
entirely  under  Roman  dominion, — one  which  preferred  extending 
its  sway  by  land  to  prosecuting  discovery  by  sea.  The  Medi 
terranean  was,  thus  far,  the  only  seat  of  commerce  and  the  ex- 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


83 


elusive  scene  of  navigation.  Though  Hanno  and  Eudoxus  had 
indeed  passed  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  had  coasted  along 
the  African  shore  as  far  as  the  negro  territories,  and  though 
Pytheas,  proceeding  to  the  north,  had  visited — still  hugging 
the  land — the  Baltic  and  the  British  Channel,  their  expeditions 
must  be  considered  as  at  once  venturesome  and  futile,  for  the 
age  was  not  able  to  repeat  them,  and  totally  failed  to  make 
them  useful  either  to  geography  or  commerce.  As  long  as  the 
centre  of  power,  of  luxury,  of  wealth,  remains  within  the  Medi 
terranean,  as  long  as  Tyre,  Sidon,  Rome,  Carthage,  succes 
sively  control  the  destinies  of  the  world,  so  long  shall  we  find 
mankind  lacking  both  the  motive  and  the  means  to  seek  new 
worlds,  by  sea,  beyond.  Time,  however,  will  furnish  both  the 
motive  and  the  means :  we  shall  find  the  one,  as  we  proceed,  in 
the  Spice  Islands  of  the  East,  the  other  in  the  Mariner's  Com 
pass.  The  next  division  of  our  subject  will  narrate  how  the 
contests  between  the  Crescent  and  the  Cross  over  the  tomb  of 
Christ  brought  Europe  and  Asia  into  contact  and  acquaintance 
ship;  and  how  the  commerce  and  intercourse  which  were  the 
immediate  consequences  led  to  that  general  and  absorbing  inte 
rest  in  the  sea  and  ships  which  eventually  produced  Columbus 
and  Magellan.  The  influence  of  nutmeg  and  cinnamon  upon 
the  spread  of  the  gospel  and  the  development  of  science  is  a 
theme  which  we  shall  show  to  be  not  unworthy  of  earnest  and 
philosophical  inquiry. 


VENETIAN     GALLEY     OF    THE     TENTH     CENTURY. 


Section  »* 


FROM  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  ERA  TO  THE 
APPLICATION  OF  THE  MAGNETIC  NEEDLE  TO  EUROPEAN  NAVI 
GATION,  A.D.  1300. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

NAVIGATION    DURING    THE    KOMAN    EMPIRE — THE    RISE    OF    VENICE    AND    GENOA 

THE  CRUSADES THEIR  EFFECT  UPON  COMMERCE WEDDING  OF  THE  ADRI 
ATIC — CREATION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NAVY — INTRODUCTION  OF  EASTERN  ART 
INTO  EUROPE — MAPS  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES — EEMOTE  EFFECT  OF  THE  CRU 
SADES  UPON  GEOGRAPHICAL  SCIENCE. 

WE  have  taken  the  birth  of  Christ  as  a  point  of  departure  in 
the  history  of  navigation,  merely  because  of  the  prominence  of 
that  event  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  not  on  account  of  any 
connection  that  it  has  with  the  chronicles  of  the  sea.  So  far 
from  that,  the  first  five  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  are  an 
absolute  blank  in  all  matters  which  pertain  to  our  subject.  The 
Roman  Empire  rose  and  fell ;  and  its  rise  and  fall  concerned  the 
Mediterranean  only.  Not  even  Julius  Caesar,  the  greatest  man 
in  Roman  history,  has  a  place  in  maritime  records ;  unless,  when 
crossing  the  Adriatic  in  a  fishing-boat  during  a  storm,  his  memo 
rable  words  of  encouragement  to  the  fisherman,  "  Fear  nothing ! 

you  carry  Caesar  and  his  fortunes !"  are  sufficient  to  connect  him 
84 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  85 

with  the  sea.  Neither  Pompey,  nor  Sylla,  nor  Augustus,  nor 
Nero,  nor  Titus,  nor  Constantine,  nor  Theodosius,  nor  Attila, 
can  claim  part  or  lot  in  the  dominion  of  man  over  the  ocean. 
And  so  we  glide  rapidly  over  five  centuries. 

Upon  the  invasion  of  Italy  by  the  barbarians,  A.D.  476,  the 
Veneti,  a  tribe  dwelling  upon  the  northeastern  shores  of  the 
Adriatic,  escaped  from  their  ravages  by  fleeing  to  the  marshes 
and  sandy  inlets  formed  by  the  deposits  of  the  rivers  which 
there  fall  into  the  gulf.  Here  they  were  secure ;  for  the  water 
around  them  was  too  deep  to  allow  of  an  attack  from  the  land, 
and  too  shallow  to  admit  the  approach  of  ships  from  the  sea. 
Their  only  resource  was  the  water  and  the  employments  it 
afforded.  At  first  they  caught  fish ;  then  they  made  salt,  and 
finally  engaged  in  maritime  traffic.  Early  in  the  seventh  cen 
tury  their  traders  were  known  at  Constantinople,  in  the  Levant, 
and  at  Alexandria.  Their  city  soon  covered  ninety  islands, 
connected  together  by  bridges.  They  established  mercantile 
factories  at  Rome,  and  extended  their  authority  into  Istria  and 
Dalmatia.  In  the  eighth  century  they  chased  the  pirates,  and 
in  the  ninth  they  fought  the  Saracens.  At  this  period  Genoa, 
too,  rose  into  notice,  and  the  Genoese  and  the  Venetians  at  once 
became  commercial  rivals  and  the  monopolists  of  the  Mediter 
ranean. 

And  now  Peter  the  Hermit,  barefooted  and  penniless,  in 
veighing  against  the  atrocities  of  the  Turks  towards  Christians 
at  Jerusalem,  exhorted  the  warriors  of  the  Cross  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  infidels.  He  inspired  all  Europe  with  an 
enthusiasm  like  his  own,  and  enlisted  a  million  followers  in  the 
cause.  The  passion  of  the  age  was  for  war,  peril,  and  adven 
ture;  and  fighting  for  the  Sepulchre  was  a  more  agreeable 
method  of  doing  penance  than  wearing  sackcloth  or  mortifying 
the  flesh.  The  First  Crusade,  a  motley  array  of  knights, 
spendthrifts,  barons,  beggars,  women,  and  children,  set  out  upon 
their  wild  career.  Then  cauie  the  Second,  the  Third,  and  the 


86  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Fourth.  Crusading  was  the  amusement  and  occupation  of  two 
centuries.  Two  millions  of  Europeans  perished  in  the  cause 
before  it  was  abandoned.  A  few  words  concerning  its  effect 
upon  the  civilization  of  Europe  are  necessary  here,  in  direct 
pursuance  of  our  subject. 

During  their  stay  in  Palestine  the  Crusaders  learned,  and  in 
a  measure  acquired,  the  habits  of  Eastern  life.  They  brought 
back  with  them  a  taste  for  the  peculiar  products  of  that  region, 
— -jewels,  silks,  cutlery,  perfumes,  spices.  A  brisk  commerce 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Mediterranean  was  the 
speedy  consequence.  Genoa,  Pisa,  Florence,  Venice,  covered 
the  waters  of  their  inland  sea  with  sails,  trafficking  from  the 
ports  of  Italy  to  those  of  Syria  and  Egypt.  In  every  maritime 
city  conquered  by  the  Crusaders,  trading-stations  and  bazaars 
were  established.  Marseilles  obtained  from  the  kings  of  Jeru 
salem  privileges  and  monopolies  of  trade  upon  their  territory. 
Venice  surpassed  all  her  rivals  in  the  splendor  and  extent  of 
her  commerce,  and  it  was  for  this  that  the  Pope,  Alexander 
III.,  sent  the  Doge  the  famous  nuptial  ring  with  which,  in 
assertion  of  his  naval  supremacy,  "to  wed  the  Adriatic."  The 
ceremony  was  performed  from  the  deck  of  the  Bucentaur,  or 
state-galley,  with  every  possible  accompaniment  of  pomp  and 
parade.  The  vessel  was  crowned  with  flowers  like  a  bride,  and 
amid  the  harmonies  of  music  and  the  acclamations  of  the  spec 
tators  the  ring  was  dropped  into  the  sea.  The  Republic  and 
the  Adriatic,  long  betrothed,  were  now  indissolubly  wedded. 
This  ceremony  was  repeated  from  year  to  year. 

The  Normans,  the  Danes,  the  Dutch,  imitated  the  example 
of  the  Italians,  or,  as  they  were  then  called,  the  Lombards,  but 
were  rather  occupied  in  conveying  provisions  to  the  armies  than 
in  trading  for  their  own  account. 

It  was  during  the  Crusades  that  the  French  navy  was  created. 
Philip  Augustus,  who,  on  his  way  to  Syria,  and  thence  home 
again,  could  not  have  remained  insensible  to  the  advantages  of 


THE     DOGE     OF     VENICE     WEDDING     THE     ADRIATIC. 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  87 

possessing  a  strong  force  upon  the  ocean,  formed,  upon  his 
return,  the  nucleus  of  a  national  fleet,  for  the  purpose  of  de 
fending  his  coasts  either  against  pirates  or  foreign  invasion. 

While  the  necessity  of  transporting  articles  from  the  East  to 
supply  the  demand  thus  created  in  the  West  gave  a  stimulus  to 
commerce  and  navigation,  manufactures  were  encouraged  and 
developed  by  the  operation  of  the  same  cause.  The  Italians 
learned  from  the  Greeks  the  art  of  weaving  silk,  which  soon 
resulted  in  the  weaving  of  cloth  of  gold  and  silver.  They 
learned  to  mould  glass  in  a  multitude  of  new  and  curious  forms. 
From  the  manufactories  of  Syria,  where  stuffs  were  made  of 
camels'  hair,  improvements  were  introduced  into  the  manufac 
tures  of  Europe,  where  they  were  woven  of  no  other  material 
than  lambs'  wool.  Palestine  also  suggested  to  crusaders  re 
turning  home  the  advantages  of  windmills  for  grinding  flour. 
Arabia  furnished  the  art  of  tempering  arms  and  polishing 
steel,  of  chasing  gold  and  silver,  of  mounting  stones  in  rich 
and  massive  settings.  Constantinople  furnished  the  Chris 
tians  with  many  splendid  specimens  of  ancient  art, — groups, 
statues,  and  the  Corinthian  horses,  and  thus  awakened  European 
taste. 

Nearly  all  the  Gothic  monuments  of  Europe  which  still  excite 
the  admiration  of  the  tourist  owe  their  existence  to  this  communi 
cation  with  the  Greeks  by  means  of  the  Crusades,  and  to  the 
wonder  which  seized  the  Frank  and  Lombard  at  the  sight  of  the 
churches  and  palaces  of  Byzantium.  The  Europeans  carried 
back  with  them  the  architecture  of  the  Saracens.  Saint  Mark's 
at  Venice  was  built  from  the  plans,  and  under  the  direction,  of 
an  unbeliever.  The  Cathedral  and  Spire  of  Strasburg,  with 
their  gigantic  and  yet  delicate  proportions,  the  Minster  of 
Amiens,  the  Sainte  Chapelle  of  Paris,  were  constructed  in  close 
imitation  of  the  chef-d'oeuvres  of  Eastern  art.  Painting  upon 
glass  was  also  brought  from  Constantinople,  and  the  early 
painters  of  Christendom  were  speedily  employed  in  tracing  in 


88  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

colors,  upon  the  windows  of  abbeys  and  cathedrals,  the  exploits 
of  the  Crusaders  and  the  triumphs  of  the  Cross. 

From  the  Arabs  and  the  Greeks,  too,  the  Europeans  received 
their  first  lessons  in  the  natural  and  exact  sciences.  Imperfect 
and  incomplete  as  were  the  astronomy,  the  botany,  the  mathe 
matics,  and  the  geography  of  the  Arabians,  they  were  far  in 
advance  of  the  same  professions  as  understood  and  practised  in 
Europe.  The  languages  were  improved  and  enriched  by  the 
association  and  exchange  of  ideas  into  which  English,  Germans, 
Italians,  and  French  were  forced.  The  confusion  of  tongues, 
which  was  as  complete  as  at  Babel,  was  somewhat  corrected  by  the 
harmony  of  interest  and  oneness  of  purpose  which  animated  all,  of 
whatever  name  and  lineage,  who  gathered  around  the  Sepulchre. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  effect  of  the  Crusades,  so  far 
as  it  is  the  object  of  a  work  like  the  present  to  trace  and  de 
lineate  it,  was  to  give  the  people  of  Europe  a  new  motive  for 
maintaining  an  intercourse  with  the  people  of  Asia.  They  had 
Seen  their  superior  civilization,  and  sought  to  introduce  it  among 
themselves.  They  had  learned  to  appreciate  their  skill  in  the 
arts,  and  resolved  to  acclimate  those  arts  at  home.  They  had 
accustomed  themselves  to  many  articles  of  luxury,  which  had 
become  articles  of  necessity,  and  which  it  was  now  essential, 
therefore,  to  transport  from  the  Levant,  from  the  Red  Sea,  and 
the  Persian  Gulf,  to  the  Bay  of  Venice  and  the  Gulf  of  Genoa. 
There  was  a  demand,  in  short,  in  the  West,  for  the  products, 
the  manufactures,  the  arts,  of  the  East.  Here  was  the  origin 
of  the  immense  Eastern  commerce  which  now  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Genoese  and  Venetians,  and  which,  resulting  from  the 
Crusades,  compelled  us  to  the  digression  we  have  made.  It  is 
not  our  purpose,  however,  to  refer  more  at  length  to  this  com 
merce,  as  it  was  carried  on  upon  seas  which  had  been  navigated 
for  twenty  centuries ;  and  we  must  hasten  forward  to  the  period 
when  new  paths  were  laid  out  over  the  immensity  of  the  waters. 

A  map,  published  just  anterior  to  the  First  Crusade,  fully  dis- 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  89 

plays  the  ignorance  which  then  prevailed  in  geographical  science. 
The  sea,  as  in  the  age  of  Homer,  is  made  to  surround  the  world 
as  a  river,  the  land  being  divided  into  three  parts,  Europe,  Asia, 
and  Africa.  Africa  and  Asia  are  joined  together  in  the  South, 
and  the  Indian  Ocean  is  an  inland  sea.  Asia  is  as  large  as  the 
other  two  continents  combined.  On  the  east  there  is  a  small 
spot  indicated  as  the  position  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  by  the 
words  Hie  est  Paradisus.  Europe  and  Africa  are  separated 
from  Asia  by  a  long  canal,  which  may  be  either  the  Nile  or  the 
Hellespont.  Africa  is  still  considered  the  land  of  mystery  and 
fable :  its  northern  part  only  is  considered  inhabitable,  the  south 
being  even  unapproachable,  on  account  of  the  torrents  of  flame 
poured  on  it  by  the  sun.  The  Frozen  Ocean,  the  Baltic,  the  White 
Sea,  and  the  Caspian,  are  all  united.  The  Northern  regions  are 
represented  as  forming  one  single  island.  Scandinavia  is  made 
the  birthplace  and  residence  of  the  Amazons,  the  famous  women- 
warriors  to  whom  antiquity  had  given  a  home  in  the  Caucasus. 

We  shall,  in  due  order,  proceed  to  show  that  the  indirect  and 
remote  effect  of  the  Crusades,  and  of  the  intercourse  produced 
by  them  between  two  totally  separated  regions,  was  to  induce 
the  Discovery  of  America,  the  Doubling  of  the  Cape  of  G-ood 
Hope,  and  the  Passage  of  the  /Straits  at  the  southern  extremity 
of  Patagonia, — results  due  to  COLUMBUS,  VASCO  DA  G-AMA,  and 
MAGELLAN,  every  one  of  whom  were  seeking,  in  the  voyages 
which  have  rendered  them  immortal,  another  passage  to  the 
Indies  than  that  held  by  the  Italians — so  far  as  they  could 
prosecute  it  in  vessels  upon  the  Mediterranean.  But,  before 
we  can  proceed  from  the  coasting  enterprises  of  the  Lombards 
upon  the  land-locked  waters  of  their  inland  sea,  to  the  daring 
ventures  of  the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  upon  the  raging 
billows  of  the  Tropical  and  South  Atlantic,  we  must  turn  for  a 
moment  to  the  North  of  Europe,  and  inquire  into  the  maritime 
achievements  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  and  the  Northmen  during 
the  Dark  and  Middle  Ages. 


DANISH   VESSEL  OF  THE  TENTH   CENTURY:    FROM   AN  INSCRIPTION. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE     SCANDINAVIAN     SAILORS THEIR     PIRACIES     AND     COMMERCE THE     ANGLO- 
SAXONS ALFRED    THE    GREAT    A    SHIP-BUILDER THE    VOYAGE    OF    BEOWULF— 

DISCOVERY     OF     ICELAND     BY     THE     DANES DISCOVERY     OF     GREENLAND THE 

VOYAGE  OF  BJARNI  AND  LEIF  TO  THE  AMERICAN    CONTINENT THEIR  DISCOVERY 

OF     NEWFOUNDLAND,    NOVA     SCOTIA,     NANTUCKET,      AND     MASSACHUSETTS AD 
VENTURES    OF     THORWALD    AND    THORFINN COMPARISON    OF    THE     DISCOVERIES 

OF    THE    NORTHMEN    WITH    THOSE    OF    COLUMBUS. 

THE  nations  inhabiting  the  borders  of  the  Baltic  and  the 
coasts  of  Norway,  as  well  as  those  dwelling  on  the  shores  of  the 
German  Ocean,  were  situated  quite  as  favorably  for  maritime 
enterprise  as  those  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Though  their  earliest  expeditions  by  sea  were  not  stimulated  by 
the  same  cause, — the  desire  for  commercial  intercourse, — 
they  arose  from  causes  equally  active.  While  the  Mediter 
ranean  countries  possessed  a  fruitful  soil  and  a  balmy  climate, 

those  of  the  North,  under  a  sky  comparatively  ungenial,  afforded 
90 


MAN  UPON   THE    SEA.  91 

their  inhabitants  but  a  few  of  the  articles  which  they  needed : 
they  were  led,  therefore,  to  increase  their  power  by  sea,  in  order  to 
establish  themselves  in  more  favored  climes,  or  at  least  to  obtain 
from  them  by  plunder  what  their  own  country  could  not  furnish. 
Thus  they  neglected  the  arts  of  agriculture,  and  became  inured 
to  a  life  of  piracy  upon  the  sea.  They  spent  their  lives  in  plan 
ning  and  executing  maritime  expeditions.  Fathers  gave  fleets 
to  their  sons,  and  bade  them  seek  their  fortune  on  the  ocean- 
highway.  The  ships,  at  first  small, — being  mere  barks  propelled 
by  twelve  oars, — came  at  last  to  be  capable  of  carrying  one  hun 
dred  or  one  hundred  and  twenty  men.  They  were  supplied  with 
stones,  arrows,  ropes  with  which  to  overset  small  vessels,  and 
grappling-irons  with  which  to  come  to  close  quarters. 

It  would  be  remote  from  our  purpose  to  notice  these  piratical 
excursions,  were  it  not  that  they  sometimes  resulted  in  discovery 
or  commerce.  Many  of  the  marauders  settled  permanently  in 
England  in  the  seventh  century,  and  established  there  the 
Anglo-Saxon  dominion.  Alfred,  their  most  celebrated  king, 
obliged  to  defend  his  territory  from  the  Danes,  turned  his  at 
tention  zealously  to  every  thing  connected  with  ships,  commerce, 
discovery,  and  geography,  and  became  the  first  founder  of  that 
naval  power  which  was  at  a  later  period  to  be  the  world's  dread 
and  admiration.  The  idea  of  ship-building  once  conceived,  it 
was  prosecuted  with  astonishing  vigor.  Alfred  not  only  multi- 
tiplied  their  number,  but  introduced  material  improvements. 
Towards  the  latter  part  of  his  reign,  his  fleet  numbered  one  hun 
dred  sail :  it  was  divided  into  small  squadrons  and  stationed  at 
various  places  along  the  coast. 

The  oldest  epic  in  any  modern  language,  the  Anglo-Saxon 
poem  of  "Beowulf,"  the  Sea-Goth,  written  in  forty-three  cantos, 
and  containing  some  six  thousand  lines,  is  occupied  mainly  in 
narrating  the  marvellous  exploits  of  its  hero,  his  combats  with  a 
pestilential  fire-drake,  and  his  slaying  of  "  a  grim  giant  named 
Grendel,  a  descendant  of  Cain."  It  incidentally  describes  a 


92  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

voyage  made  by  Beowulf  previous  to  the  ninth  century,  and 
from  this  we  may  gather  a  few  details,  at  best  barren  and  un 
satisfactory,  of  the  equipments  of  a  vessel  in  those  days.  In 
the  extract  which  we  give,  the  word  "sea-nose"  will  readily  be 
understood  as  meaning  headland,  or  promontory  : 

"  When  the  king  had  awaited 
The  time  he  should  stay, 
Came  many  to  fare 
On  the  billows  so  free. 
His  ship  they  bore  out 
To  the  brim  of  the  ocean, 
And  his  comrades  sat  down 
At  their  oars  as  he  bade. 
A  word  could  control 
His  good  fellows,  the  Shylds. 
On  the  deck  of  the  ship 
He  stood,  by  the  mast. 
Ne'er  did  I  hear 
Of  a  vessel  appointed 
Better  for  battle, 
With  weapons  of  war, 
And  waistcoats  of  wool, 
And  axes  and  swords. 
#         #         *         * 

The  ship  was  on  the  waves, 
Boat  under  the  cliffs. 
The  barons  ready 
To  the  prow  mounted. 
The  chieftains  bore 
On  the  naked  breast 
Bright  ornaments, 
AVar-gear,  Goth-like. 
The  men  shoved  off, 
Men  on  their  willing  way, 
The  bounden  wood. 

Then  went  over  the  sea-waves, 
Hurried  by  the  wind, 
The  ship  with  foamy  neck, 
Most  like  a  sea-fowl, 
Till  about  one  hour 
Of  the  second  day 
The  curved  prow 
Had  passed  onward. 
So  that  the  sailors 
The  land  saw. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  93 

The  shore- cliffs  shining, 
Mountains  steep, 
And  broad  sea- noses. 
Then  was  the  sea-sailing 
Of  the  Earl  at  an  end. 
God  thanked  he 
That  to  him  the  sea-journey 
Easy  had  been." 

In  the  year  863,  a  Dane  of  Swedish  origin,  named  Gardar, 
adventurously  pushing  off  into  the  Northern  Ocean,  though 
upon  an  object  which  history  has  not  recorded,  discovered  the 
island-rock  whose  appropriate  name  is  Iceland.  Eleven  years 
later,  a  navigator  named  Ingolf  colonized  the  country,  the 
colonists,  many  of  whom  belonged  to  the  most  esteemed  families 
in  the  North,  establishing  a  flourishing  republic.  The  situation 
of  these  people,  isolated  in  the  midst  of  an  Arctic  ocean,  and 
their  relation  to  the  mother-country,  compelled  them  to  exert 
and  develop  their  hereditary  maritime  proclivities.  In  877,  a 
sailor  named  Gunnbjorn  saw  a  mountainous  coast  far  to  the 
west,  supposed  to  be  now  concealed  or  rendered  inaccessible  by 
the  descent  of  Arctic  ice.  Erik  the  Red,  who  had  been  banished 
from  Norway  for  murder  and  had  settled  in  Iceland,  was  in  his 
turn  outlawed  thence  in  983 :  he  sailed  to  the  west  and  dis 
covered  a  land  which  he  called  Greenland,  because,  as  he  said, 
"people  will  be  attracted  hither  if  the  land  has  a  good  name." 
He  returned  to  Iceland,  and,  in  the  year  985,  a  large  number  of 
ships — according  to  some  authorities,  thirty-five — followed  him 
to  the  new  settlement  and  established  themselves  on  its  south 
western  shore. 

In  986,  Bjarni  Herjulfson-Bjarni  the  son  of  Herjulf,  in  a 
voyage  from  Iceland  to  Greenland,  was  driven  a  long  distance 
from  the  accustomed  track.  He  at  last  saw  land  to  the  west, 
and  took  counsel  with  his  men  as  to  what  land  it  could  be. 
Bjarni  declared  it  his  opinion  that  it  was  not  Greenland.  They 
sailed  close  in  shore,  and  noticed  that  there  were  no  mountains, 
but  that  the  land  was  undulating  and  well  wooded.  They  left 


94  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

the  land  on  their  larboard  side,  and  sailed  away  for  two  days, 
when  they  saw  land  again.  They  asked  Bjarni  if  he  thought 
this  was  Greenland ;  and  he  replied  that  "  he  thought  it  as  little 
to  be  Greenland  as  the  other,  as  he  saw  no  high  ice-hills."  The 
sailors  wished  to  wood  and  water  there,  but  Bjarni  would  not 
consent.  They  sailed  for  three  days  to  the  north,  and  saw  a 
bold  shore  with  high  mountains  and  ice-hills.  Bjarni  would  not 
land,  saying,  "To  me  this  land  appears  little  inviting."  Sailing 
for  four  days  more  to  the  northeast,  they  came  to  a  country 
which  Bjarni  confidently  pronounced  to  be  Greenland,  where  he 
landed  and  afterwards  settled.  Various  data  furnished  by  this 
narrative,  in  the  original  Icelandic  records,  have  enabled  geogra 
phers  to  determine  the  various  coasts  thus  dimly  seen  by  Bjarni, 
but  upon  which  he  did  not  land.  They  are  supposed  to  have 
been  those  of  Long  Island,  Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Newfoundland. 

In  the  year  994,  Leif  Erikson — Leif  the  son  of  Erik  the  Out 
law — bought  Bj ami's  ship,  and  engaged  thirty-five  men  to  navi 
gate  it,  as  he  intended  to  sail  upon  a  voyage  of  discovery.  He 
asked  his  father  Erik  to  be  the  captain ;  but  Erik  declined,  being, 
as  he  said,  well  stricken  in  years.  They  sailed  away  into  the 
sea,  and  discovered  first  the  land  which  Bjarni  had  discovered 
last.  They  went  ashore,  saw  no  grass,  but  plenty  of  icebergs, 
and  an  abundance  of  flat  stones.  From  the  latter  circumstance 
they  named  the  place  Jlelluland,  hellu  signifying  a  flat  stone. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  spot  thus  named  is  the  modern 
Newfoundland.  They  went  on  board  again,  and  proceeded  on 
their  way.  They  went  ashore  a  second  time,  where  the  land 
was  flat  and  covered  with  wood  and  white  sand.  "This,"  said 
Leif,  "shall  be  named  after  its  qualities,  and  called  Markland," 
(woodland.)  This  is  undoubtedly  Nova  Scotia.  They  sailed 
again  to  the  south  for  two  days  and  came  to  an  island  which  lay 
to  the  eastward  of  the  mainland.  They  observed  dew  upon 
the  grass,  and  this  dew,  upon  being  touched  with  the  finger  and 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


95 


raised  to  the  mouth,  tasted  exceedingly  sweet.     This  appears  to 
have  been  Nantucket,  where  honey-dew  is  known  to  abound. 


THE     NORTHMEN     IN     AMERICA. 


They  proceeded  on  through  a  tract  of  shoal  water,  which  cor 
responds  with  the  sound  between  Nantucket  and  Cape  Cod,  and 
appear  to  have  run  across  the  mouth  of  Buzzard's  Bay,  and  to 
have  ascended  the  Pocasset  River  as  far  as  Mount  Hope  Bay, 
which  they  took  for  a  lake.  Here  they  cast  anchor,  and, 
"bringing  their  skin  cots  from  the  ship,  proceeded  to  make 
booths."  They  remained  during  the  winter,  finding  plenty  of 
salmon  in  the  river  and  lake.  "  The  nature  of  the  country  was, 
as  they  thought,  so  good,  that  cattle  would  not  require  house- 
feeding  in  winter,  for  there  came  no  frost,  and  little  did  the 
grass  wither  there."  Their  statement  that  on  the  shortest  day 
the  sun  was  above  the  horizon  from  half-past  seven  till  half-past 


96  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

four  enables  geographers  to  fix  the  latitude  of  the  place  where 
they  were  at  41°  43'  10",  which  is  very  nearly  that  of  Mount 
Hope  Bay. 

One  evening  a  man  of  the  party  was  missing, — a  German 
named  Tyrker,  whom  Leif  regarded  as  his  foster-father.  He 
determined  to  seek  for  him,  and  for  this  purpose  chose  twelve 
reliable  men.  Tyrker  soon  returned  and  said  that  he  had  been  a 
long  distance  into  the  interior,  and  had  found  vines  and  grapes. 
"But  is  this  true,  my  fosterer?"  said  Leif.  "Surely  is  it  true," 
he  returned;  "for  I  was  bred  up  in  a  land  where  there  is  no 
want  of  either  vines  or  grapes."  The  next  morning  Leif  said  to 
his  sailors,  "We  will  now  set  about  two  things,  in  that  the  one 
day  we  gather  grapes,  and  the  other  cut  vines  and  fell  trees, 
so  from  thence  will  be  a  loading  for  my  ship."  The  record 
states  that  the  long-boat  was  filled  with  grapes.  Leif  gave  the 
country  the  name  of  Vinland,  from  its  vines. 

To  the  reader  of  the  present  day  it  may  seem  that  the  wild 
vines  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  can  hardly  have  been 
so  prominent  a  feature  of  the  native  products  as  to  have  given 
a  name  to  the  whole  region.  But  it  is  certain  that  six  centuries 
later  the  Puritans  found  wild  maize  and  grapes  growing  there 
in  profusion,  while  the  neighboring  island  of  Martha's  Vineyard 
received  its  name  from  the  English  for  a  precisely  similar  reason. 

Upon  the  return  of  Leif  to  Greenland,  his  brother  Thorwald 
thought  that  "these  new  lands  had  been  much  too  little  explored." 
Leif  gave  him  his  ship,  and  he  put  out  to  sea,  with  thirty  men, 
in  the  year  1002.  Nothing  is  known  of  their  voyage  till 
they  came  to  Leif  s  booths  in  Vinland.  They  laid  up  their  ship, 
caught  fish  for  their  support,  and  spent  a  pleasant  winter.  They 
passed  two  years  in  exploring  the  interior,  and  then  returned  by 
the  north,  where  Thorwald  was  killed  in  a  battle  with  the  Esqui 
maux. 

But  a  more  successful  discoverer  than  any  of  these  was 
Thorfinn  Karlsnefne, — that  is,  Thorfinn  the  Predestined  Hero. 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  97 

He  was  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Iceland,  the  heir  of  Danish, 
Swedish,  and  Norwegian  princes.  He  visited  Greenland  in 
1006,  where  he  married  Gudrida,  the  widow  of  an  Icelandic 
adventurer,  and  in  1007  sailed,  in  three  ships  and  with  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  men,  upon  a  voyage  to  Vinland.  His  wife  went 
with  him,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  bore  him  a  son 
named  Snorri,  who  was,  of  course,  the  first  of  European  blood 
born  in  America.  From  him  the  celebrated  Swedish  sculptor 
Thorwaldsen  was  lineally  descended.  Thorfinn  remained  here 
three  years,  and  had  many  communications  with  the  aborigines. 
A  singular  result  of  this  relation  may  perhaps  be  traced  in  the 
names  successively  given  to  one  spot.  The  Northmen  called  one 
of  their  settlements  Hop,  and  the  Puritans,  six  centuries  later, 
found  that  the  Indians  called  it  Haup.  It  would  appear  that 
they  had  continued,  in  their  own  tongue,  the  appellation 
bestowed  upon  the  place  in  the  Norse  language.  The  Puritans 
anglicized  it,  and  called  it  Mount  Hope. 

We  have  no  accounts  of  any  further  voyages  made  by  the 
Northmen  to  America.  The  records  were  preserved  in  the  lite 
rature  of  the  island,  but  the  memory  of  them  gradually  faded 
away  from  the  popular  mind. 

Several  writers  claim  for  these  early  navigators  a  degree  of 
merit  beyond  that  which  they  are  willing  to  accord  to  Columbus. 
They  reply  to  the  argument  that  Bj ami's  discovery  of  the 
American  coast  was  merely  accidental,  as  he  had  started  in 
search  of  Greenland,  that  Columbus'  discovery  of  America  was 
accidental  also,  as  he  started  in  search  of  Asia,  and  as  he 
believed  the  land  to  be  Asia  to  the  day  of  his  death.  "Besides," 
they  say,  "how  different  were  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  two  voyages  were  made !  The  Northmen,  without  compass 
or  quadrant,  without  any  of  the  advantages  of  science,  geo 
graphical  knowledge,  personal  experience,  or  previous  discoveries, 
without  the  support  of  either  kings  or  governments, — which 
Columbus,  however  discouraged  at  the  outset,  eventually  obtained, 


98  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

— but  guided  by  the  stars,  and  upheld  by  their  own  private 
resources  and  a  spirit  of  adventure  which  no  dangers  could 
repress,  crossed  the  broad  Northern  ocean  and  explored  these 
distant  lands." 

This  is  all  true ;  and  doubtless  our  wonder  at  the  success  with 
which  these  early  voyages  were  prosecuted  would  be  augmented 
tenfold,  could  we  obtain  authentic  information  upon  the  charac 
ter  and  capacity  of  the  ships  in  which  they  were  made.  Nothing 
reliable  exists  upon  this  subject,  except  a  few  rude  inscriptions ; 
and  from  these,  as  reproduced  in  the  engravings  we  have  given, 
it  would  actually  appear  that  the  vessels  used  had  no  decks,  and 
that  they  were  partly  propelled  by  oars.  However  navigation 
may  have  improved  since  the  days  of  the  Northmen,  it  is  certain 
that  no  sailor  would  now  attempt  an  Arctic  voyage  in  an  open 
boat;  and  when  we  read  of  the  perils  and  sufferings  of  our 
modern  Polar  adventurers,  it  is  impossible  not  to  be  amazed  at 
the  success  with  which  the  Danes  and  Norwegians,  with  their 
slender  appliances,  endured  and  outlived  them. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

THE    TRAVELS    OF    MARCO    POLO — THE    FIRST    MENTION   OF    JAPAN   IN    HISTORY — 
KUBLAI   KHAN — MARCO    POLO'S   VOYAGE     FROM    AMOY    TO   ORMUZ — MALACCA — 

SUMATRA PYGMIES SINGULAR    STORIES    OF    DIAMONDS THE    ROC POLO    NOT 

RECOGNISED     UPON     HIS     RETURN HIS     IMPRISONMENT THE     PUBLICATION    OF 

HIS  NARRATIVE — THE  INTEREST  AWAKENED  IN  CHINA,  JAPAN,  AND  THE  ISLANDS 
OF    SPICES. 

THE  call  to  arms  against  the  Moslems  fixed,  as  we  have  said, 
the  attention  of  Europe  upon  the  East.  The  travels  of  Carpini, 
Rubruquis,  and  Ascelin,  in  Tartary  and  in  China,  revealed  the 
existence  of  numerous  tribes  in  localities  believed  to  be  occupied 
by  the  ocean.  Hordes  of  savages,  we  are  told,  and  whole  nations 
of  powerful  and  warlike  people,  emerged  from  the  imaginary 
waters  of  Eolis,  the  fabulous  sea  of  antiquity  and  bed  of 
Aurora.  Marco  Polo,  whose  celebrated  journey  was  performed 
during  the  twenty  years  closing  the  thirteenth  century,  made 
known  the  centre  and  .eastern  extremity  of  Asia,  Japan,  a 
portion  of  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  a  part  of  the 
continent  of  Africa,  and,  by  hearsay,  the  large  island  of  Mada 
gascar.  We  subjoin  a  brief  account  of  that  portion  of  his 
travels  which  was  prosecuted  by  sea. 

He  became  a  great  favorite  with  Kublai  Khan,  whose  winter 
capital  was  Khanbalik  or  Pekin,  and  served  him  for  many  years 
as  one  of  his  confidential  officers.  He  was  the  first  European 
who  heard  of  the  island  of  Japan,  of  which  he  speaks  thus: — 
"Zipangu,  or  Cipango,  is  an  island  in  the  Eastern  Ocean,  situated 

about  fifteen   hundred   miles  from   the  mainland.     It   is  quite 

99 


100  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

large.  The  inhabitants  have  fair  complexions,  are  civilized  in 
their  manners,  though  their  religion  is  idolatry.  They  have  gold 
in  the  greatest  abundance,  but  its  exportation  is  forbidden.  The 
entire  roof  of  the  sovereign's  palace  is  stated  to  be  covered  with 
a  plating  of  gold,  as  we  cover  churches  and  other  buildings  with 
lead.  So  famous  is  the  wealth  of  tin's  island  that  Kublai  Khan 
was  fired  with  the  desire  of  annexing  it  to  his  dominions.  He 
sent  out  a  numerous  fleet  and  a  powerful  army ;  but  a  violent 
storm  dispersed  and  wrecked  the  ships,  and  thirty  thousand  men 
were  thrown  upon  a  desert  island  a  few  miles  from  Cipango. 
They  expected  nothing  but  death  or  captivity,  as  they  could 
obtain  no  means  of  subsistence.  Being  attacked  from  Cipango, 
they  got  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  took  possession  of  their  fleet, 
and  put  off  for  the  main  island.  They  kept  the  colors  flying 
from  the  masts,  and  entered  the  chief  city  unsuspected.  All 
the  inhabitants  were  gone  except  the  women.  They  took  pos 
session,  but  were  closely  besieged  for  six  months,  until,  despair 
ing  of  relief,  they  surrendered,  on  condition  of  their  lives  being 
spared.  This  took  place  in  the  year  1284."  Such  was  the  first 
intelligence  of  the  island  of  Japan  which  ever  reached  the  ears 
of  Europeans. 

After  a  stay  of  seventeen  years  in  China,  Marco  and  his  com 
panions  resolved  to  make  an  attempt  to  return  to  their  native 
land.  Kublai  Khan,  however,  was  unwilling  to  part  with  them ; 
and  they  owed  their  final  release  to  a  circumstance  wholly  unex 
pected.  An  embassy  from  Persia  had  visited  Pekin,  and  had 
selected  one  of  Kublai's  grand-daughters  for  the  wife  of  their 
prince.  They  set  out  with  her  on  their  journey  to  Persia,  but, 
after  meeting  with  incredible  obstacles,  were  obliged  to  return  to 
the  Chinese  capital.  Marco  had,  at  this  time,  just  returned  from 
a  voyage  among  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Sea,  and  had  laid  be 
fore  the  khan  his  observations  upon  the  feasibility  of  navigation 
in  those  waters.  The  ambassadors  sought  an  interview  with 
Marco  Polo,  and  found  that  they  had  all  a  common  interest, — 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  101 

that  of  getting  away  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  khan  was 
forced  to  facilitate  the  departure  of  the  envoys,  though  it  de 
prived  him  of  his  friends  the  Venetians.  Preparations  were 
made  upon  a  grand  scale  for  the  expedition.  Fourteen  four- 
masted  ships,  a  part  of  them  with  crews  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  were  equipped  and  victualled  for  two  years.  The 
khan  bade  the  Polo  party  an  affectionate  adieu,  making  them 
his  ambassadors  to  the  principal  courts  of  Europe,  and  extorting 
from  them  a  promise  to  return  to  his  service  after  a  visit  to  their 
own  country. 

Thus  honorably  dismissed,  they  set  sail  from  the  port  of 
Amoy,  in  1291.  They  coasted  along  the  shores  of  Cochin  China, 
and  came  in  sight  of  the  islands  of  Borneo  and  Java,  though 
they  did  not  land  there.  At  the  island  of  Bintan,  near  the  Straits 
of  Malacca,  they  obtained  some  knowledge  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  Malays  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  peninsula.  They 
landed  upon  Sumatra,  and  visited  many  parts  of  the  island. 
Marco  thus  speaks  of  one  branch  of  the  trade  of  the  inha 
bitants  : — "  It  should  be  known  that  what  is  reported  respecting 
the  mummies  of  pygmies  sent  to  Europe  from  India  is  only  an 
idle  tale,  these  pretended  human  dwarfs  being  manufactured  in 
this  island  in  the  following  manner.  The  country  produces  a 
large  species  of  monkey  having  a  countenance  resembling  that 
of  a  man.  The  Sumatrans  catch  them,  shave  off  their  hair,  dry 
and  preserve  their  bodies  with  camphor  and  other  drugs,  and 
prepare  them  generally  so  as  to  give  them  the  appearance  of 
little  men.  They  then  pack  them  in  wooden  boxes  and  sell  them 
to  traders,  by  whom  they  are  vended  for  pygmies  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  But  there  are  no  such  things  as  pygmies  in  India  or 
anywhere  else.  It  is  mere  monkey-trade." 

From  Sumatra,  Marco  and  his  companions  sailed  into  the  Bay 
of  Bengal,  touched  at  the  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands,  ar 
rived  at  Ceylon,  and,  doubling  the  southern  point  of  Hindostan, 

/ 

continued  to  the  northward  along  its  western  coast.     The  pearl- 


102  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

fishery  here  attracted  their  attention ;  and  Marco,  in  his  description 
of  the  diamonds  of  a  kingdom  named  Murphili,  narrates,  as  a 
fact,  a  story  which  was  afterwards  incorporated  in  the  Adven 
tures  of  Sinbad  the  Sailor, — that  of  pieces  of  meat  being  thrown 
by  the  jewel- hunters  into  inaccessible  valleys,  whence  they  were 
brought  back  again  by  eagles  and  storks  with  quantities  of 
diamonds  clinging  to  them.  But  the  story  occurs  irt  the  writings 
of  one  of  the  Christian  Fathers  of  the  fourth  century,  and  Marco 
Polo  only  gives  it  as  a  legend  which  he  heard.  He  also  alludes 
to  the  bird  called  the  roc,  which  was  so  large  that  it  lifted  ele 
phants  into  the  air ;  its  feathers  measured  ninety  spans.  The 
locality  frequented  by  these  monstrous  ornithological  specimens 
was  the  island  of  Madagascar. 

The  voyage  appears  to  have  ended  at  Ormuz,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Persian  Gulf,  after  a  navigation  of  a  year  and  a  half.  Six 
hundred  men  of  the  various  crews  had  died  upon  the  way.  There 
is  no  mention  made  in  history  of  the  return  of  the  fleet  to 
China,  though  Kublai  Khan  is  known  to  have  died  three  years 
after  the  departure  of  the  Venetians.  After  various  adventures, 
Marco  Polo  and  his  companions  arrived  in  Venice,  in  1295. 
They  had  been  absent  twenty-one  years,  and  their  nearest  rela 
tives  did  not  know  them.  When  they  attempted  to  converse  in 
Italian,  their  use  of  foreign  idioms  and  barbarous  forms  of  expres 
sion  rendered  their  language  hardly  intelligible.  Possession  had 
been  taken  of  their  houses  by  some  of  their  kindred,  and  they 
found  it  difficult  to  expel  them.  Their  statements  were  dis 
believed,  till,  by  displaying  their  immense  wealth  and  their  price 
less  collections  of  jewels  and  precious  stones,  they  forced  their 
countrymen  to  give  credit  to  adventures  which  must  clearly  have 
been  extraordinary,  to  have  resulted  in  such  acquisitions  of  trea 
sure.  Marco's  riches  gave  him  the  name  of  Milione ;  and  he  is 
designated,  in  the  records  of  the  Venetian  Republic,  and  upon  the 
title-page  of  his  work, — still  extant, — as  Messer  Marco  Milione. 

He  was  induced  to  write  an  account  of  his  adventures  in  the 


MAN    UPON    THE   SEA.  103 

following  manner.  A  war  between  the  Venetians  and  the 
Genoese  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  galley  of  which  he  was 
commander.  He  was  imprisoned  during  four  years  at  Genoa. 
His  surprising  history  becoming  known,  he  was  visited  by  all  the 
principal  inhabitants,  who  were  anxious  to  listen  to  his  narrative. 
The  frequent  necessity  of  repeating  the  same  story  became  in 
tolerably  irksome  to  him,  and  he  resolved  to  commit  it  to  writing. 
He  thus  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the  promotion  of  geographical 
science.  He  procured  from  Venice  the  original  notes  he  had 
made  in  the  course  of  his  travels,  and,  with  their  assistance  and 
that  of  a  Genoese  amanuensis,  the  narrative  was  composed  in 
his  cell.  It  is  a  work  of  great  research  and  deep  interest. 
Formerly  read  for  its  marvels, 'it  is  now  perused  as  the  earliest 
authentic  account  of  a  region  which  still  remains  a  terra  incog 
nita,  and  whose  inhabitants  repel  curiosity  and  decline  mingling 
with  other  nations  upon  the  usual  reciprocal  terms  of  fellowship 
and  good-will.  Marco  Polo  is  now  justly  considered  the  founder 
of  the  modern  geography  of  Asia.  It  was  long  before  any  new 
discoveries  were  added  to  those  of  the  illustrious  Venetian,  but 
his  original  statements  were  confirmed  in  many  quarters : — by 
Oderic,  who  visited  India  and  China  in  1320 ;  by  Schiltberger, 
of  Munich,  who  accompanied  Tamerlane  in  his  expeditions 
through  Central  Asia;  by  Pegoletti,  an  Italian  merchant  who 
went  to  Pekin,  through  the  heart  of  Asia,  in  1335 ;  and  by  Cla- 
vijo,  in  1403,  who  was  sent  by  Spain  as  ambassador  to  Samar- 
cand. 

Thus,  a  European  had  been  to  the  regions  of  spices  and  had 
returned.  From  this  time  forward  the  world  was  to  know  no 
rest  till  the  route  by  sea  had  been  discovered. 


ANCIENT     CHINESE    COMPASS. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    FIRST   MENTION    OF    THE    LOADSTONE    IN    HISTORY — ITS    EARLY    NAMES — THE 

FIRST    MENTION    OF    ITS    DIRECTIVE     POWER A   POEM    UPON    THE    COMPASS    SIX 

HUNDRED    YEARS    OLD FRIAR    BACON'S    MAGNET — THE    LOADSTONE    IN    ARABIA 

AN    EYE-WITNESS    OF    ITS    EFFICIENCY    IN    THE    SYRIAN  WATERS    IN    THE  YEAR 

1240 THE    MAGNET    IN    CHINA EARLY    MENTION    OF    IT    IN    CHINESE  WORKS — 

THE    VARIATION     NOTICED     IN     THE     TWELFTH     CENTURY OTHER    DISCOVERIES 

MADE     BY     THE     CHINESE MODERN     ERRORS—  FLAVIO     GIOIA THE     ARMS      OF 

AMALFI — ALL    RECORDS    LOST  OF   THE  FIRST  VOYAGE    MADE  WITH  THE    COMPASS 
BY   A   EUROPEAN    SHIP. 

WE  have  arrived  at  a  momentous  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
sea.  It  was  at  this  period  that  the  mariner's  compass  was — we 
do  not  say  invented — but  introduced  into  European  navigation. 
That  this  admirable  instrument,  which,  in  half  a  century, 
changed  the  face  of  the  earth,  by  leading  to  the  discovery  of 
America  and  thus  proving  the  sphericity  of  the  world,  should 
remain  unclaimed  by  its  author,  and  that  we  are  unable  to  point 
to  him  who  thus  blessed  and  benefited  his  race,  must  always  be 
a  subject  of  regret.  So  far  from  being  able  to  name  the  indi 
vidual  to  whom  the  invention  is  due,  it  has  long  been  deemed 
impossible  to  fix  even  upon  the  nation  who  first  used  the  needle 
at  sea.  We  hope,  however,  by  availing  ourselves  of  recent  re 
searches  made  in  France,  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion  not  only 
104 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  105 

satisfactory,  but  inevitable.  In  tracing  the  history  of  the  com 
pass,  we  must  naturally  begin  with  the  magnet. 

The  ancients  were  fully  acquainted  with  the  loadstone,  and 
with  its  power  of  attracting  iron,  though  they  were  totally 
ignorant  of  its  polarity.  That  they  were  so,  is  evident  from  the 
fact  that  the  classic  authors  and  ancient  works  upon  navigation 
and  kindred  subjects  do  not  furnish  one  word  upon  the  subject. 
Claudian  has  left,  in  one  of  his  idyls,  a  long  description  of  the 
stone,  and  of  its  peculiar,  indeed,  magical,  affinity  for  iron. 
Had  he  entertained  the  most  distant  idea  that  this  stone  could 
communicate  to  a  steel  needle  the  power  of  indicating  the  north, 
it  is  not  to  be  supposed  for  an  instant  that  he  would  have  omitted 
mentioning  it.  The  earliest  name  of  the  loadstone  was  Hercules' 
Stone,  which  was  soon  changed  to  magnes,  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  found  in  abundance  in  a  region  called  Magnesia,  in  Lydia. 
Hence  our  word  magnet.  It  was  not  till  the  fourth  century  of 
our  era  that  the  quality  of  repelling  as  well  as  of  attracting  iron 
seems  to  have  been  discovered.  Marcellus,  the  physician  of  Theo- 
dosius  the  Great,  is  the  first  author  who  mentions  this  new  quality. 

The  Romans,  who  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  magnet  from 
the  Greeks,  preserved  the  name,  though  several  of  their  authors, 
and  Pliny  among  them,  mention  a  tradition,  that  the  magnet  was 
so  called  from  a  shepherd  named  Magnes,  who  was  the  first  to 
discover  a  mine  of  loadstone,  by  the  nails  in  his  shoes  clinging 
to  the  metal. 

The  first  mention  in  European  history  of  the  polarity  of  the 
magnetized  needle,  and  of  its  importance  to  mariners,  occurs  in  a 
satirical  French  poem  written  in  1190  by  one  Guyot  de  Provins. 
His  object  was  to  level,  by  implication,  an  invective  against  the 
Court  of  Rome  ;  and  he  did  it  in  the  following  neat  manner. 
The  translator  has  endeavored  to  preserve  the  quaint  style  of 
the  original: 

"  As  for  our  Father  the  Pope, 
•  I  would  he  were  like  the  star 


106  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Which  moves  not.     Very  well  see  it 

The  sailors  who  are  on  the  watch. 

By  this  star  they  go  and  come, 

And  hold  their  course  and  their  way. 

They  call  it  the  Polar  Star. 

It  is  fixed,  very  unchangeable: 

All  the  others  move, 

And  alter  their  places  and  turn, 

But  this  star  moves  not. 

They  make  a  contrivance  which  cannot  lie, 

By  the  virtue  of  the  magnet. 

An  ugly  and  brownish  stone, 

To  which  iron  spontaneously  joins  itself, 

They  have :  and  they  observe  the  right  point, 

After  they  have  caused  a  needle  to  touch  it, 

And  placed  it  in  a  rush : 

They  put  it  in  the  water,  without  any  thing  more, 

And  the  rush  keeps  it  on  the  surface  ; 

Then  it  turns  its  point  direct 

Towards  the  star  with  such  certainty, 

That  no  man  will  ever  have  any  doubt  of  it ; 

Nor  will  it  ever  for  any  thing  go  false. 

When  the  sea  is  dark  and  hazy, 

That  they  can  neither  see  star  nor  moon, 

Then  they  place  a  light  by  the  needle, 

And  so  they  have  no  fear  of  going  wrong : 

Towards  the  star  goes  the  point, 

Whereby  the  mariners  have  the  skill 

To  keep  the  right  way. 

It  is  an  art  which  cannot  fail." 

It  may  be  very  properly  inferred,  from  the  fact  that  the 
poet  does  not  merely  allude  to  the  compass,  but  describes  it  and 
the  polar  star  at  some  length,  that  it  was  not  generally  known, 
and,  in  fact,  had  been  lately  introduced  into  the  Mediterranean. 
Whence  it  had  been  introduced  there,  we  shall  learn  as  we 
proceed. 

The  second  historical  mention  of  the  compass  occurs  in  a  de 
scription  of  Palestine  by  Cardinal  Jacques  de  Vitry,  in  the  year 
1218,  in  which  is  the  following  passage : — "  The  loadstone  is  found 
in  India,  to  which,  from  some  hidden  cause,  iron  spontaneously 
attaches  itself.  The  moment  an  iron  needle  is  touched  by  this 
stone,  it  at  once  points  towards  the  North  Star,  which,  though 
the  other  stars  revolve,  is  fixed  as  if  it  were  the  axis  of  the 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  107 

firmament :  from  whence  it  has  become  necessary  to  those  who 
navigate  the  seas." 

Brunetto  Latini,  a  grammarian  of  Florence,  and  preceptor 
of  Dante,  settled  in  Paris  about  the  year  1260,  and  composed  a 
work  entitled  the  "Treasure,"  in  which  he  distinctly  describes 
the  process  and  the  consequence  of  magnetizing  a  needle.  He 
also  went  to  England,  and,  in  a  letter  of  which  fragments  have 
been  published,  writes  thus  : — "  Friar  Bacon  showed  me  a  mag 
net,  an  ugly  and  black  stone,  to  which  iron  doth  willingly  cling  : 
you  rub  a  needle  upon  it,  the  which  needle,  being  placed  upon 
a  point,  remains  suspended  and  turns  against  the  Star,  even 
though  the  night  be  stormy  and  neither  star  nor  moon  be  seen ; 
and  thus  the  mariner  is  guided  on  his  way." 

The  Italian  Jesuit  Riccioli,  in  his  work  upon  Geography  and 
Hydrography,  states,  that  before  1270,  the  French  mariners  used 
"  a  magnetized  needle,  which  they  kept  floating  in  a  small 
vessel  of  water,  supported  on  two  tubes,  so  as  not  to  sink." 

All  these  authors  agree  in  fixing  the  period  at  which  the  use 
of  the  needle  was  popularized  in  Europe,  at  the  latter  part  of 
the  twelfth  and  the  commencement  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
Not  one  of  them  mentions  the  inventor  by  name,  or  even  indi 
cates  his  nation.  This  circumstance  leads  to  the  conviction  that 
it  was  unknown  to  them,  and  that,  consequently,  the  inventor  was 
not  a  European.  The  theory  that  the  Europeans  obtained  it 
from  the  Arabians,  and  the  Arabians  from  the  Chinese,  is  sup 
ported  by  the  following  facts : 

A  manuscript  work,  written  by  an  Arabian  named  Bailak,  a 
native  of  Kibdjak,  and  entitled  "  The  Merchant's  Guide  in  the 
Purchase  of  Stones,"  thus  speaks  of  the  loadstone  in  the  year 
1242: — "Among  the  properties  of  the  magnet,  it  is  to  be 
noticed  that  the  captains  who  sail  in  the  Syrian  waters,  when 
the  night  is  dark,  take  a  vessel  of  water,  upon  which  they  place 
a  needle  buried  in  the  pith  of  a  reed,  and  which  thus  floats 
upon  the  water.  Then  they  take  a  loadstone  as  big  as  the  palm 


108  MAX   UPON   THE   SEA. 

of  the  hand,  or  even  smaller.  They  hold  it  near  the  surface  of 
the  water,  giving  it  a  rotary  motion  until  the  needle  turns  upon 
the  water:  they  then  withdraw  the  stone  suddenly,  when  the 
needle,  with  its  two  ends,  points  to  the  north  and  south.  I  saw 
this  with  my  own  eyes,  on  my  voyage  from  Tripoli,  in  Syria,  to 
Alexandria,  in  the  year  640.  [640  of  the  Hegira,  1240  A.D.] 

"  I  heard  it  said  that  the  captains  in  the  Indian  seas  substi 
tute  for  the  needle  and  reed  a  hollow  iron  fish,  magnetized,  so 
that,  when  placed  in  the  water,  it  points  to  the  north  with  its 
head  and  to  the  south  with  its  tail.  The  reason  that  the  fish 
swims,  not  sinks,  is  that  metallic  bodies,  even  the  heaviest, 
float  when  hollow,  and  when  they  displace  a  quantity  of  water 
greater  than  their  own  weight." 

It  may  fairly  be  inferred,  from  this  passage,  that,  at  the  time 
spoken  of,  (1240,)  the  practice  was  already  of  long  standing  in 
this  quarter,  and  that  the  needle  and  its  polarity  had  been 
long  known  and  employed  at  sea.  That  is,  the  Arabs  had  be 
come  familiar  with  the  loadstone  in  1240,  while  Friar  Bacon  re 
garded  it,  in  England,  as  a  huge  curiosity  in  1260, — twenty 
years  afterwards.  The  priority  of  the  invention  would  seem  to 
be  thus  incontestably  proven  for  the  Arabs.  But  we  shall  see 
speedily  that  it  derived  its  origin  from  a  region  situated  still 
farther  to  the  east,  and  many  centuries  earlier. 

A  famous  Chinese  dictionary,  terminated  in  the  year  121  of 
our  era,  thus  defines  the  word  magnet : — "  The  name  of  a  stone 
which  gives  direction  to  a  needle."  This  is  quoted  in  numerous 
modern  dictionaries.  One  published  during  the  Tsin  dynasty — 
that  is,  between  265  and  419 — states  that  ships  guided  their  course 
to  the  south  by  means  of  the  magnet.  The  Chinese  word  for 
magnet — Tchi  nan — signifies,  Indicator  of  the  South.  It  was 
natural  for  the  Chinese,  when  they  first  saw  a  needle  point  both 
north  and  south,  to  take  the  Antarctic  pole  for  the  principal 
point  of  attraction,  for  with  them  the  south  had  always  been 
the  first  of  the  cardinal  points, — the  emperor's  throne  and  all 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  109 

the  Government  edifices  invariably  being  built  to  face  the  south. 
A  Chinese  work  of  authority,  composed  about  the  year  1000, 
contains  this  passage: — "Fortune-tellers  rub  the  point  of  a 
needle  with  a  loadstone  to  give  it  the  power  of  indicating  the 
south." 

A  medical  natural  history,  published  in  China  in  1112,  speaks 
even  of  the  variation  of  the  needle, — a  phenomenon  first  noticed 
in  Europe  by  Christopher  Columbus  in  1492:  —  "When,"  it 
says,  "a  point  of  iron  is  touched  by  a  loadstone,  it  receives  the 
power  of  indicating  the  south :  still,  it  declines  towards  the  east, 
and  does  not  point  exactly  to  the  south."  This  observation, 
made  at  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  was  confirmed  by 
magnetic  experiments  made  at  Pekin,  in  1780,  by  a  Frenchman ; 
only  the  latter,  finding  the  variation  to  be  from  the  north,  set  it 
down  as  from  2°  to  2°  30'  to  the  west,  while  the  Chinese,  per 
sisting  in  calling  it  a  variation  from  the  south,  set  it  down  as 
being  from  2°  to  2°  30'  to  the  east. 

Thus,  the  Chinese,  who  were  acquainted  with  the  polarity  of 
a  magnetized  needle  as  early  as  the  year  121,  and  who  noticed 
the  variation  in  1112,  may  be  safely  supposed  to  have  employed 
it  at  sea  in  the  long  voyages  which  they  made  in  the  seventh 
and  eighth  centuries,  the  route  of  which  has  come  down  to 
us.  Their  vessels  sailed  from  Canton,  through  the  Straits  of 
Malacca,  to  the  Malabar  coast,  to  the  mouths  of  the  Indus 
and  the  Euphrates.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that,  aware  of 
the  use  to  which  the  needle  might  be  applied,  they  did  not  so 
apply  it. 

While  thus  claiming  for  the  Chinese  the  first  knowledge  and 
application  of  the  polarity  of  the  needle,  we  may  say,  incidentally, 
that  it  is  now  certain  that  they  made  numerous  other  discoveries 
of  importance  long  before  the  Europeans.  They  knew  the  at 
tractive  power  of  amber  in  the  first  century  of  our  era,  and  a 
Chinese  author  said,  in  324,  "The  magnet  attracts  iron,  and 
amber  attracts  mustard-seed."  They  ascribed  the  tides  to  the 


110 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


influence  of  the  moon  in  the  ninth  century.  Printing  was  in 
vented  in  the  province  of  Chin  about  the  year  920,  and  gun 
powder  would  seem  to  have  been  made  there  long  before  Berthold 
Schwartz  mixed  it  in  1330.  Still,  it  is  not  necessary  to  resort 
to  the  argument  of  analogy  to  support  the  claims  of  the  Chi 
nese  to  this  admirable  invention :  the  direct  evidence,  as  we  have 
rehearsed  it,  is  amply  sufficient. 


FRAGMENT    OF    AN    ANCIENT    CHINESE    VESSEL. 


A  century  ago,  Flavio  Gioia,  a  captain  or  pilot  of  Amalfi,  in 
the  kingdom  of  Naples,  was  recognised  throughout  Europe  as 
the  true  inventor  of  the  compass.  He  lived  in  the  beginning 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  biographers  have  even  fixed  the 
date  of  the  memorable  invention  at  the  year  1303.  The  prin 
cipal  foundation  for  this  assertion  was  the  following  line  from  a 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  Ill 

poem  by  Antonio  of  Bologna,  who  lived  but  a  short  time  after 

Gioia : — 

"Prima  dedit  nautis  usam  magnetis  Amalpbis." 
Amalfi  first  gave  to  sailors  the  use  of  the  magnet 

The  tradition  was  subsequently  confirmed  by  the  statement  made 
by  authors  of  repute,  that  the  city  of  Amalfi,  in  order  to  comme 
morate  an  invention  of  so  much  importance,  assumed  a  compass 
for  its  coat  of  arms.  This  was  believed  till  the  year  1810,  when 
the  coat  of  arms  of  Amalfi  was  found  in  the  library  at  Naples. 
It  did  not  answer  at  all  to  the  description  given  of  it :  instead 
of  the  eight  wings  which  were  said  to  represent  the  four  cardinal 
points  and  their  divisions,  it  had  but  two,  in  which  no  resemblance 
to  a  compass  could  be  traced.  Later  investigations  have,  as  we 
have  said,  completely  demolished  all  the  arguments  by  which 
the  compass  was  maintained  to  be  of  European  origin  and  of 
modern  date.  The  curious  reader  will  find  the  extracts  from 
Chinese  works  which  substantiate  the  Chinese  claim,  in  a  volume 
upon  the  subject  published  in  1834,  at  Paris,  by  M.  J.  Klaproth, 
and  composed  at  the  request  of  Baron  Humboldt. 

In  the  sketch  which  we  are  now  about  to  give  of  the  Portu 
guese  voyages  to  the  African  coast,  it  will  be  remarked  that  the 
compass  was  already  introduced  and  acclimated.  No  mention 
whatever  is  extant  of  the  first  venture  made  upon  the  Atlantic 
under  the  auspices  of  this  mysterious  but  unerring  guide.  Science 
and  history  must  forever  regret  that  the  first  European  navigator 
who  employed  it  did  not  leave  a  record  of  the  experiment. 
What  would  be  more  interesting  to-day  than  the  log  of  the 
earliest  voyage  thus  accomplished  in  European  waters?  The 
modern  reader  would  surely  give  his  sympathy,  unreservedly,  to 
a  narrative  in  which  the  navigator  should  describe  his  wonder, 
his  terror,  his  joy,  when,  throughout  the  voyage,  he  saw  the 
tremulous  index  point  invariably  north ;  when,  upon  the  disper 
sion  of  the  clouds  which  had  concealed  the  Star  from  view,  it 
was  found  precisely  where  the  needle  indicated ;  when,  upon  its 


112  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

being  diverted  from  the  line  of  direction  by  some  curious  and 
perhaps  incredulous  experimenter,  it  slowly  but  surely  returned, 
remaining  fixed  and  constant  through  storm  and  calm,  at  mid 
night  and  at  noon.  What  would  be  more  interesting  than  the 
speculations  of  such  a  captain  upon  the  cause  of  the  marvellous 
dispensation  ?  And  what  more  amusing  than  the  commentaries 
of  the  forecastle,  and  the  learned  explanations  of  the  veteran 
salts  to  the  raw  recruits  ?  But  all  this  absorbing  lore  has  hope 
lessly  disappeared,  and  the  mariner's  compass  will  forever  remain 
mysterious  in  its  principle,  mysterious  in  its  origin,  mysterious 
in  its  history.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  return  to  the  subject 
from  another  point  of  view,  when,  in  describing  the  Arctic 
voyages  of  the  present  century,  we  shall  find  James  Clarke  Ross 
standing  upon  the  North  Magnetic  Pole. 


TENERIFFE. 


Section  H-L 


FROM  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  MAGNETIC  NEEDLE  TO  EURO 
PEAN  NAVIGATION  TO  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE  ROUND  THE  WORLD 
UNDER  MAGELLAN — 1300 — 1519. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  PORTUGUESE  ON  THE  COAST  OF  AFRICA THE  SPANIARDS  AND  THE  CANARY 

ISLES DON  HENRY  OF  PORTUGAL THE  TERRIBLE  CAPE,  NOW  CAPE  BOJADOR 

THE  SACRED  PROMONTORY DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MADEIRAS A  DREADFUL 

PHENOMENON A  PROLIFIC  RABBIT  AND  A  WONDERFUL  CONFLAGRATION HOS 
TILITY  OF  THE  PORTUGUESE  TO  FURTHER  MARITIME  ADVENTURE THE  BAY 

OF  HORSES THE  FIRST  GOLD  DUST  SEEN  IN  EUROPE DISCOVERY  OF  CAPE 

VERD  AND  THE  AZORES THE  EUROPEANS  APPROACH  THE  EQUATOR JOURNEY 

OF  CADA-MOSTO — DEATH  OF  DON  HENRY — PROGRESS  OF  NAVIGATION  UNDER 
THE  AUSPICES  OF  THIS  PRINCE. 

WE  are  now  to  consider  at  some  length  a  series  of  voyages, 
tedious  and  fruitless  at  first,  successful  in  the  end,  undertaken 

by  the  Portuguese,  in  their  age  of  maritime  heroism,  to  discover 

8  113 


114  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

a  passage  by  sea  to  the  famous  commercial  region  of  the  Indies, 
some  general  knowledge  of  which  had  been  preserved  since  the 
Persian,  Macedonian,  and  Roman  Empires.  The  achievements 
which  we  are  about  to  narrate  were  so  surprising,  so  significant, 
and  so  complete,  that,  as  has  been  aptly  remarked,  they  can 
never  happen  again  in  history,  unless,  indeed,  Providence  were 
to  create  new  and  accessible  worlds  for  discovery  and  conquest, 
or  to  replunge  mankind  for  ages  into  ignorance  and  superstition. 
But,  before  proceeding  with  the  discoveries  of  the  Portuguese, 
we  must  mention  a  previous  discovery  made  by  accident  in  the 
same  region  by  the  French  and  Spanish. 

About  the  year  1330,  a  French  ship  was  driven  among  a 
number  of  islands  which  lay  off  the  coast  of  the  Desert  of  Sa 
hara.  These  had  been  known  to  the  ancients  as  the  Fortunate 
Islands,  and  Juba  of  Mauritania,  who  is  quoted  by  Pliny,  calls 
two  of  them  by  name, — Trivaria,  or  Snow  Island,  and  Canaria, 
or  Island  of  Dogs.  They  had  been  lost  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Europeans  for  a  thousand  years,  and  it  was  a  storm  which  re 
vealed  their  existence,  as  we  have  said,  to  a  vessel  forced  by 
stress  of  weather  to  escape  from  the  coast  into  the  open  sea. 
The  Spaniards  profited  by  the  vicinity  of  the  group  to  make 
discoveries  and  settlements  among  them.  Trivaria  became 
Teneriffe,  and  Canaria  the  Grand  Canary.  It  was  here  that 
superstition  now  placed  the  limits  of  navigation,  and  expressed 
the  idea  upon  maps,  by  representing  a  giant  armed  with  a 
formidable  club,  and  dwelling  in  a  tower,  as  threatening  ships 
with  destruction  if  they  ventured  farther  out  to  sea.  It  is  in  this 
immediate  neighborhood  that  we  are  now  about  to  follow  the 
daring  and  patient  enterprises  of  the  Portuguese. 

Don  Henry,  the  fifth  son  of  John  I.  of  Portugal,  was  placed 
by  his  father,  in  1415,  in  command  of  the  city  of  Ceuta,  in 
Africa,  which  he  had  just  conquered  from  the  Moors.  During 
his  stay  here,  the  young  prince  acquired  much  information 
relative  to  the  seas  and  coasts  of  Western  Africa,  and  this  first 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


115 


suggested  in  his  mind  a  plan  for  maritime  discovery,  which 
afterwards  became  his  favorite  and  almost  exclusive  pursuit. 
He  sent  a  vessel  upon  the  first  voyage  of  exploration  under 
taken  by  any  nation  in  modern  times.  The  commander  was 
instructed  to  follow  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  and,  if  possible, 
to  pass  the  cape  called  by  the  Portuguese  Cape  Non,  Nun,  or 
Noun.  This  had  hitherto  been  considered  the  utmost  southern 
limit  of  navigation  by  the  Europeans,  and  had  obtained  its 
name  from  the  negative  term  in  the  Portuguese  language — im 
plying  that  there  was  nothing  beyond.  A  current  proverb 
expressed  the  idea  thus : 

Whoe'er  would  pass  the  Cape  of  Non 
Shall  turn  again,  or  else  begone. 

The  fate  of  this  vessel  has  not  been  recorded ;  but  Don  Henry 
continued  for  many  years  to  send  other  vessels  upon  the  same 
errand.  Several  of  them  proceeded  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  beyond  Cape  Non,  to  another  and  more  formidable  pro 
montory,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Bojador — from  bojar, 
to  double — on  account  of  the  circuit  which  must  be  made  to  get 


CAPE  BOJADOR. 


around  it,  as  it  stretches  more  than  one  hundred  miles  into  the 
ocean.  The  tides  and  shoals  here  formed  a  current  twenty  miles 
wide ;  and  the  spectacle  of  this  swollen  and  beating  surge,  which 
precluded  all  possibility  of  creeping  along  close  to  the  coast. 


116  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

filled  these  timid  navigators  with  terror  and  amazement.  They 
dared  not  venture  out  of  sight  of  land,  and,  seized  with  a  sudden 
remembrance  of  the  fabulous  horrors  of  the  torrid  zone,  they 
regarded  the  interposition  of  this  terrific  cape  as  a  providential 
warning,  and  sailed  hastily  back  to  Portugal.  There,  with  that 
fancy  for  embellishment  peculiar  to  sailors  of  all  ages,  they 
narrated  stories,  or,  as  would  be  said  in  the  present  day,  yarns, 
calculated  forever  to  dissuade  from  further  ventures  in  the  lati 
tudes  of  Capes  Non  and  Bojador. 

Don  Henry,  who  had  returned  from  Ceuta,  resolved,  in  spite 
of  these  obstacles,  to  employ  a  portion  of  his  revenue  as  Grand 
Master  of  the  Order  of  Christ,  in  further  maritime  experiments. 
He  fixed  his  residence  upon  the  Sacrum  Promontorium  of  the 
Romans,  of  which  we  have  given  a  representation  in  the  chapter 
describing  the  voyage  of  Pytheas.  Here  he  indulged  that 
passion  for  navigation  and  mathematics  which  he  had  hitherto 
been  compelled  to  neglect.  In  1418,  two  naval  officers  of  his 
household  volunteered  their  lives  in  an  attempt  to  surmount  the 
perils  of  Bojador.  Juan  Gonzalez  Vasco  and  Tristan  Vax 
Texeira  embarked  in  a  vessel  called  a  barclia  and  resembling  a 
brig  with  topsails,  and  steered  for  the  tremendous  cape. 

Before  reaching  it,  however,  a  violent  storm  drove  them  out 
to  sea,  and  the  crew,  on  losing  sight  of  their  accustomed  land 
marks,  gave  themselves  up  to  despair.  But,  upon  the  abatement 
of  the  tempest,  they  found  themselves  in  sight  of  an  island  four 
hundred  miles  to  the  west  of  the  coast.  Thus  was  discovered 
Porto  Santo,  the  smallest  of  the  group  of  the  Madeiras,  and 
thus  was  the  feasibility  and  advantage  of  abandoning  coasting 
voyages  and  venturing  boldly  out  to  sea  made  manifest.  The 
adventurers  returned  to  Portugal,  and  gave  glowing  accounts  of 
the  fertility  of  the  soil,  of  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  the 
character  of  the  inhabitants.  Vessels  were  fitted  out  to  colo 
nize  and  cultivate  the  island ;  but  a  singular  and  most  untoward 
event  rendered  it  useless  as  a  place  of  refreshment  for  navi- 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  117 

gators.  A  single  rabbit  littered  during  the  voyage,  and  was 
let  loose  upon  the  island  with  her  progeny :  these  multiplied  so 
rapidly  that  in  two  years  they  eat  every  green  thing  which  its 
soil  produced.  Porto  Santo  was  therefore,  for  a  time,  abandoned. 
During  their  residence  there,  however,  Gonzalez  and  Vax 
noticed  with  wonder  a  strange  and  perpetual  appearance  in  the 
horizon  to  the  southwest.  A  thick,  impenetrable  cloud  hovered 
over  the  waves,  and  thence  extended  to  the  skies.  Some  be 
lieved  it  to  be  a  dreadful  abyss,  and  others  a  fabulous  island, 
while  superstition  traced  amid  the  gloom  Dante's  inscription  on 
the  portal  of  the  Inferno : 

Abandon  hope,  all  ye  "who  enter  here ! 

Gonzalez  and  Vax  bore  this  state  of  suspense  with  the  im 
patience  of  seamen,  while  from  dawn  to  sunset  the  meteor,  or 
the  portent,  preserved  its  uniform  sullen  aspect.  At  last  they 
started  in  pursuit.  It  was  urged,  by  a  Spaniard  named  Juan  de 
Morales,  that  the  shadows  hanging  in  the  air  could  be  accounted 
for  by  supposing  that  the  soil  of  an  island  in  the  vicinity,  being 
shaded  from  the  sun  by  thick  and  lofty  trees,  exhaled  dense  and 
opaque  vapors,  which  spread  throughout  the  sky.  As  the  ship 
advanced,  the  towering  spectre  was  observed  to  thicken  and  to 
expand  until  it  became  horrible  to  view.  The  roaring  of  the  sea 
increased,  and  the  crew  called  on  Gonzalez  to  flee  from  the  fear 
ful  scene.  But  soon  the  weather  became  calm,  and  deeper 
shadows  were  observed  through  the  portentous  gloom.  Faint 
images  of  rocks  seemed  to  the  excited  crew  the  menacing  figures 
of  giants.  The  atmosphere  was  now  transparent ;  the  hoarse 
echo  of  the  waves  abated ;  the  clouds  dispersed,  and  the  wood 
lands  were  unveiled.  The  seamen  rested  on  their  oars,  while 
Gonzalez  admired  the  wild  luxuriance  of  nature  in  a  spot  which 
superstition  had  so  long  dreaded  to  approach.  A  rivulet,  issu 
ing  from  a  glen,  whose  paler  verdure  formed  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  deep  green  of  venerable  cedars,  seemed  to  pour  a 


118  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

stream  of  milk  into  a  spacious  basin.  They  searched  in  vain 
for  traces  of  either  inhabitants  or  cattle.  The  abundance  of 
building-wood  which  the  island  furnished  suggested  the  name 
of  Madeira;  and  a  tract  covered  with  fennel  (funcha)  marked 
the  site  of  the  future  town  of  Funchal. 

A  modern  poet  thus  describes  in  verse  the  scene  which  we 
have  narrated  in  prose  : 

"  Bojador's  rocks 

Arise  at  distance,  frowning  o'er  the  surf, 
That  boils  for  many  a  league  without.     Its  course 
The  ship  holds  on,  till,  lo !  the  beauteous  isle 
That  shielded  late  the  sufferers  from  the  storm 
Springs  o'er  the  wave  again.     Then  they  refresh 
Their  wasted  strength,  and  lift  their  vows  to  Heaven. 
But  Heaven  denies  their  further  search  ;  for  ah  ! 
What  fearful  apparition,  pall'd  in  clouds, 
Forever  sits  upon  the  western  wave, 
Like  night,  and,  in  its  strange  portentous  gloom 
Wrapping  the  lonely  waters,  seems  the  bounds 
Of  nature?     Still  it  sits,  day  after  day, 
The  same  mysterious  vision.     Holy  saints  ! 
Is  it  the  dread  abyss  where  all  things  cease  ? 
The  favoring  gales  invite  :  the  bowsprit  bears 
Right  onward  to  the  fearful  shade :  more  black 
The  cloudy  spectre  towers  :  already  fear 
Shrinks  at  the  view,  aghast  and  breathless.     Hark ! 
'Twas  more  than  the  deep  murmur  of  the  surge 
That  struck  the  ear ;  whilst  through  the  lurid  gloom 
Gigantic  phantoms  seem  to  lift  in  air 
Their  misty  arms.     Yet,  yet — bear  boldly  on : 
The  mist  dissolves :  seen  through  the  parting  haze, 
Romantic  rocks,  like  the  depicted  clouds, 
Shine  out :  beneath,  a  blooming  wilderness 
Of  varied  wood  is  spread,  that  scents  the  air : 
Where  fruits  of  golden  rind,  thick  interspersed 
And  pendent,  through  the  mantling  umbrage  gleam 
Inviting." 

Gonzalez  and  Vax  returned  at  once  to  Lisbon,  where  a  public 
day  of  audience  was  appointed  by  the  king  to  give  every  cele 
brity  to  this  successful  voyage.  Madeira  was  at  once  colonized 
and  cultivated ;  and  it  is  said  that  Gonzalez,  in  order  to  clear  a 
space  for  his  intended  city  of  Funchal,  set  the  shrubs  and 


MAN   UPON  THE    SEA.  119 

bushes  on  fire,  and  that  the  flames,  being  communicated  to  the 
forests,  burned  for  seven  years.  The  sugar-cane  was  planted, 
and  its  cultivation  yielded  immense  sums  until  sugar-plantations 
were  established  in  Brazil  and  thus  interfered  with  the  monopoly. 
The  attention  of  the  islanders  was  then  transferred  to  the  grape, 
and  from  that  time  to  this  Madeira  has  supplied  the  world  with 
a  favorite — nay,  almost  indispensable — brand  of  wine. 

Don  Henry  had  now,  it  would  appear,  surmounted  the  prin 
cipal  obstacles  opposed  by  ignorance  or  prejudice  to  the  object  of 
his  laudable  ambition.  But  there  were  many  interests  threatened 
by  a  continuance  of  discovery  by  sea.  The  military  beheld  with 
jealous  dislike  the  distinction  obtained  by,  and  now  willingly 
accorded  to,  a  profession  they  held  inferior  to  their  own.  The 
nobility  dreaded  the  opening  of  a  source  of  wealth  which  would 
raise  the  mercantile  character,  and  in  an  equal  degree  lower  the 
assumptions  and  pretensions  of  artificial  social  rank.  Political 
economists  suggested  that  there  were  barren  spots  in  Portugal 
as  capable  of  cultivation  as  any  desert  islands  in  the  sea  or  any 
sandy  coasts  within  the  tropics.  It  was  urged,  too,  that  any 
Portuguese  who  should  pass  Cape  Bojador  would  inevitably  be 
changed  into  a  negro,  and  would  forever  retain  this  brand  of  his 
temerity. 

While  Henry  was  resisting  the  arguments  of  his  detractors, 
his  father  died,  and  was  succeeded  upon  the  throne  by  his  son 
Edward.  The  latter  gave  every  encouragement  to  the  maritime 
projects  of  his  brother,  and,  in  1433,  one  Gilianez,  having  in 
curred  the  displeasure  of  Henry,  determined  to  regain  his  favor 
by  doubling  Cape  Bojador.  Though  we  are  without  details  of 
the  voyage,  we  know  at  least  that  it  was  successful,  and  that  the 
historians  of  the  time  represent  the  feat  as  more  remarkable 
than  any  of  the  labors  of  Hercules.  Gilianez  reported  that  the 
sea  beyond  Bojador  was  quite  as  navigable  as  the  Mediterranean, 
and  that  the  climate  and  soil  of  the  coast  were  agreeable  and 
fertile.  He  was  sent  the  next  year,  with  Henry's  cup-bearer, 


120  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Baldoza,  over  the  same  route,  and  they  advanced  ninety  miles 
beyond  the  cape  with  the  conscious  pride  of  being  the  first 
Europeans  \vho  had  ventured  so  far  towards  the  fatal  vicinity  of 
the  equator.  Though  they  saw  no  inhabitants,  they  noticed  the 
tracks  of  caravans. 

They  were  ordered,  in  1435,  to  resume  their  discoveries,  and 
to  prolong  their  voyage  till  they  should  meet  with  inhabitants. 
In  latitude  24°  north,  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  beyond 
Bojador,  two  horses  were  landed,  and  two  Portuguese  youths, 
sixteen  years  of  age,  were  directed  to  mount  them  and  advance 
into  the  interior.  They  returned  the  next  morning,  saying  that 
they  had  seen  and  attacked  a  band  of  nineteen  natives.  A 
strong  force  was  despatched  to  the  cave  in  which  they  were  said 
to  have  taken  shelter :  their  weapons  only  were  found.  This 
spot  was  called  Angra  dos  Cavallos,  or  Bay  of  Horses.  The 
two  vessels  continued  on  forty  miles  farther,  to  a  place  where 
they  killed  a  large  number  of  seals  and  took  their  skins  on 
board.  Their  provisions  were  now  nearly  exhausted,  and  the 
expedition,  having  penetrated  nearly  two  hundred  miles  beyond 
the  cape,  returned  to  Lisbon. 

The  Portuguese  war  with  Tangiers  now  absorbed  the  entire 
naval  and  maritime  resources  of  the  country,  and  the  plague  of 
Lisbon  stayed  for  a  time  the  patriotic  enterprises  of  Don  Henry. 
In  1440-42,  expeditions  sent  in  the  same  direction  resulted  in 
the  capture  and  transfer  of  several  Moors  to  Portugal,  and  in 
the  payment  to  their  captors,  as  ransom,  of  the  first  GOLD  DUST 
ever  beheld  by  Europeans.  A  river,  or  arm  of  the  sea,  near 
the  spot  where  this  gold  was  paid,  received,  from  that  circum 
stance,  the  name  of  Rio  del  Ouro.  This  gold  dust  at  once 
operated  as  a  sovereign  panacea  upon  the  obstinacy  and  irrita 
tion  of  the  public  mind.  It  has  been  well  remarked  that  "  this 
is  the  primary  date  to  which  we  may  refer  that  turn  for  adven 
ture  which  sprang  up  in  Europe,  and  which  pervaded  all  the 
ardent  spirits  in  every  country  for  the  two  succeeding  centuries, 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


121 


and  which  never  ceased  till  it  had  united  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe  in  commercial  intercourse.  Henry  had  stood  alone 
for  almost  forty  years ;  and,  had  he  fallen  before  those  few  ounces 
of  gold  reached  his  country,  the  spirit  of  discovery  might  have 
perished  with  him,  and  his  designs  have  been  condemned  as  the 
dreams  of  a  visionary."  The  sight  of  the  precious  metal  placed 
the  discoveries  and  enterprises  of  Don  Henry  beyond  the  reach 
of  detraction  or  prejudice.  Numerous  expeditions  were  suc 
cessively  fitted  out : — that  of  Nuno  Tristan,  in  1443,  who  dis 
covered  the  Arguin  Islands,  thirty  miles  to  the  southeast  of 
Cape  Blanco ;  that  of  Juan  Diaz  and  others  in  1444 ;  that  of 
Gonzalez  da  Cintra  in  1445,  who,  with  seven  others,  was  killed 
fifty  miles  south  of  the  Rio  del  Ouro, — this  being  the  first  loss 
of  life  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese  since  they  had  undertaken 
their  explorations.  In  1446,  a  gentleman  of  Lisbon,  by  the 
name  of  Fernandez,  determined  to  proceed  farther  to  the  south 
ward  than  any  other  navigator,  and  accordingly  fitted  out  a 
vessel  under  the  patronage  of  the  prince.  Passing  the  Senegal 
River,  he  stood  boldly  on  till  he  reached  the  most  western  pro 
montory  of  Africa,  to  which,  from  the  number  of  green  palms 
which  he  found  there,  he  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Verd.  Being 


CAPE     VERD. 


alarmed  by  the  breakers  with  which  this  shore  is  lined,  he  returned 
to  Portugal  with  the  gratifying  news  of  his  discovery.  In  1447, 
Nuno  Tristan  sailed  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  beyond  Cape 
Verd,  and  reached  the  mouth  of  a  river,  which  he  called  the  Rio 


122  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Grande,  now  the  Gambia.  He  was  attacked  by  the  natives  with 
volleys  of  poisoned  arrows,  of  the  effects  of  which  all  his  crew  and 
officers  died  but  four ;  and  the  ship  was  at  last  brought  home  by 
these  four  survivors,  after  wandering  two  months  upon  the  At 
lantic.  The  next  expedition,  under  Alvaro  Fernando,  carried 
out  an  antidote  against  the  poisoned  shafts  of  the  enemy,  which 
successfully  combated  the  venom,  as  all  who  were  wounded  re 
covered. 

The  Azores,  or  Azores,  were  now  discovered,  about  nine  hun 
dred  miles  to  the  west  of  Portugal ;  but  some  doubts  exist  both 
as  to  the  discoverer  and  the  date.  They  doubtless  received  their 
name  from  the  number  of  hawks  which  were  seen  there,  A§or 
signifying  hawk  in  Portuguese.  Santa  Maria  and  San  Miguel 
were  named  from  the  saints  upon  whose  days  they  were  first 
seen.  Terceira  obtained  its  name  from  the  circumstance  that  it 
was  the  third  that  was  discovered.  Fayal  was  so  called  from 
the  beech-trees  it  produced;  Graciosa,  from  its  agreeable  cli 
mate  and  fertile  soil ;  Flores,  from  its  flowers ;  and  Corvo,  from 
its  crows.  The  various  clusters  of  islands  which  thus  arose  in 
the  Atlantic,  from  the  Azores  to  Cape  Verd,  now  formed  a  succes 
sion  of  maritime  colonies  and  nurseries  for  seamen,  and  thus 
enabled  navigators  to  avoid  the  coast,  where  the  outrages  they 
endured  from  Moors  and  negroes  threatened  to  exhaust  their 
patience.  The  ships  of  Don  Henry  had  now  penetrated  within 
ten  degrees  of  the  equator,  and  the  outcry  against  venturing  into 
a  region  where  the  very  air  was  fatal  broke  out  afresh.  In  this 
point  of  view,  therefore,  the  settlement  of  the  Azores  was  a 
matter  of  no  little  importance.  In  1449,  King  Alphonso  gave 
his  uncle,  Bon  Henry,  permission  to  colonize  these  islands.  In 
1457,  Henry  obtained  for  them  several  important  privileges,  the 
principal  of  which  was  the  exemption  of  their  inhabitants  from 
any  duties  upon  their  commerce  in  Portuguese  and  Spanish  ports. 

In  the  years  1455-56-57,  a  Venetian,  by  the  name  of  Cada- 
Mosto,  undertook,  under  the  patronage  of  Don  Henry,  two 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  123 

voyages  of  discovery  along  the  African  coast.  The  narrative 
of  his  adventures,  being  in  the  first  person,  is  the  oldest  nautical 
journal  extant,  with  the  single  exception  of  one  of  Alfred  the 
Great,  still  in  existence.  But,  as  it  is  principally  occupied  with 
descriptions  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Africans,  and  as 
he  did  not  proceed  beyond  the  Rio  Grande,  thus  adding  little  or 
nothing  to  maritime  discovery,  an  account  of  his  voyage  would 
be  out  of  place  here.  Don  Henry  died  shortly  after  the  return 
of  Cada-Mosto  from  his  second  voyage,  and  for  a  season  this 
calamity  palsied  the  naval  enterprise  of  his  countrymen.  They 
had  been  accustomed  to  derive  from  him,  not  only  the  encourage 
ment  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  such  attempts,  but  even 
sailing  directions  and  instructions  upon  all  matters  of  detail. 
It  can  easily  be  conceived  that  the  demise  of  this  illustrious 
prince  should  temporarily  dishearten  navigators  and  paralyze 
discovery.  Under  his  auspices  the  Portuguese  had  pushed  their 
discoveries  from  Cape  Non  to  Sierra  Leone, — from  the  twenty- 
ninth  to  the  eighth  degree  of  north  latitude.  He  died  at  Sagres 
— the  city,  half  ship-yard,  half  arsenal,  which  he  had  founded 
upon  the  Sacrum  Promontorium. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    PORTUGUESE    CROSS    THE    EQUATOR   FROM    GUINEA    TO    CONGO — JOHN    II.  CON 
CEIVES    THE    IDEA    OF    A    ROUTE    BY    SEA     TO     THE     INDIES HIS    ARTIFICES     TO 

PREVENT    THE    INTERFERENCE    OF    OTHER     NATIONS THE     OVERLAND     JOURNEY 

OF  COVILLAM  TO  INDIA — THE  VOYAGE  OF  BARTHOLOMEW  DIAZ — THE  DOUBLING 
OF  THE  TREMENDOUS  CAPE — ITS  BAPTISM  BY  THE  KING — INJURIOUS  EFFECTS 
OF  SUCCESS  UPON  PORTUGUESE  AMBITION. 

DURING  the  remainder  of  the  reign  of  Alphonso  V. — which 
terminated  in  1481— the  Portuguese  advanced  over  the  coast 
and  Gulf  of  Guinea  and  the  adjacent  islands  to  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  great  kingdom  of  Congo,  and  had  therefore 
arrived  within  six  hundred  and  fifty  marine  leagues  of  the  cape 
which  forms  the  southern  point  of  the  African  continent.  They 
had  crossed  the  equator,  and  not  a  man  had  turned  black.  They 
had  entered  into  a  brisk  gold-trade  with  the  savages  of  Guinea. 
John  II.,  the  son  and  successor  of  Alphonso,  determined  to 
fortify  a  point  called  Mina,  from  its  abundant  mines,  and  sent 
out  twelve  vessels  with  building  materials  and  six  hundred  men. 
The  negroes  at  first  resisted,  but  finally  yielded  their  consent. 
The  fort  was  constructed  and  named  St.  Jorge  da  Mina;  the 
quarry  from  which  the  first  stone  was  taken  being  the  favorite 
god  of  the  tribe  that  inhabited  the  coast. 

John  II.  now  added  to  his  other  titles  that  of  Lord  of  Guinea. 
In  the  hope  of  opening  a  passage  by  sea  to  the  rich  spice- 
countries  of  India,  he  asked  the  support  and  countenance  of  the 
different  states  of  Christendom.  But  the  established  mercantile 

interest  of  these  countries  was  naturally  hostile  to  a  project 
124 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  125 

which  aimed  at  changing  the  route  of  Eastern  commerce.  John 
next  applied  to  the  Pope  for  an  increase  of  power,  and  obtained 
from  his  holiness  a  grant  of  all  the  lands  which  his  navigators 
should  discover  in  sailing  from  west  to  east.  The  grand  idea  of 
sailing  from  east  to  west — one  which  implied  a  knowledge  of  the 
sphericity  of  the  globe — had  not  yet,  to  outward  appearance, 
penetrated  the  brain  of  either  pope  or  layman.  One  Christopher 
Columbus,  however,  was  already  brooding  over  it  in  secret  and 
in  silence. 

It  had  hitherto  been  customary  for  Portuguese  navigators 
to  erect  wooden  crosses  upon  all  lands  discovered  by  them. 
John  II.  now  commanded  them  to  employ  stone  pillars  six  feet 
high,  and  to  inscribe  upon  them,  in  the  Latin  and  Portuguese 
languages,  the  date,  the  name  of  the  reigning  monarch,  and  that 
of  the  discoverer.  Diego  Cam  was  the  first  to  comply  with  this 
command ;  he  set  up  a  column  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Congo, 
at  which  he  arrived  in  1484.  An  ambassador  was  sent  by  the 
chief  of  the  territory  to  Portugal,  where  he  embraced  Christianity 
and  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  John.  The  anxiety  of  the 
king  now  increased  in  reference  to  interference  by  other  nations  : 
he  therefore  sent  to  King  Edward,  of  England,  an  earnest  request 
that  he  would  prevent  the  intended  voyage  to  Guinea  of  two  of 
his  subjects,  John  Tintam  and  William  Fabian,  with  which  request 
Edward  saw  fit  to  comply.  The  Portuguese  monarch  now  care 
fully  concealed  the  progress  of  his  navigators  upon  the  African 
coast,  and  on  all  occasions  magnified  the  perils  of  a  Congo 
voyage.  He  declared  that  every  quarter  of  the  moon  produced 
a  tempest ;  that  the  shores  were  girt  with  inhospitable  rocks ; 
that  the  inhabitants  were  cannibals,  and  that  the  only  vessels 
which  could  live  in  the  waters  of  the  torrid  zone  were  caravels 
of  Portuguese  build.  Suspecting  that  three  sailors  who  had  left 
Portugal  for  Spain  intended  to  sell  the  secret  to  the  foreign 
king,  he  ordered  them  to  be  pursued  and  taken.  Two  were 
killed,  and  the  third  was  broken  upon  the  wheel.  "  Let  every 


126  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

man  abide  in  his  element :"  said  John;  "I  am  not  partial  to 
travelling  seamen." 

We  now  approach  an  era  of  great  achievements.  John  de 
termined,  in  1486,  to  assist  the  attempts  made  on  sea  by  journeys 
over  land.  Accordingly  a  squadron  was  fitted  out  under  Bar 
tholomew  Diaz,  one  of  the  officers  of  the  royal  household,  while 
Pedro  de  Covillam  and  Alphonso  de  Payra,  both  well  versed  in 
Arabic,  received  the  following  order  respecting  a  land  journey : — 
"To  discover  the  country  of  Prester  John,  the  King  of  Abys 
sinia,  to  trace  the  Venetian  commerce  in  drugs  and  spices  to  its 
source,  and  to  ascertain  whether  it  were  possible  for  ships  to  sail 
round  the  extremity  of  Africa  to  India."  They  went  by  way 
of  Naples,  the  Island  of  Rhodes,  Alexandria,  and  Cairo,  to  Aden 
in  Arabia.  Here  they  separated,  Covillam  proceeding  to  Cananor 
and  Goa,  upon  the  Malabar  coast  of  Hindostan,  and  being  the 
first  Portuguese  that  ever  saw  India.  He  went  from  there  to 
Sofala,  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa,  and  saw  the  Island  of  the 
Moon,  now  Madagascar.  He  penetrated  to  the  court  of  Prester 
John,  the  King  of  Abyssinia,  and  became  so  necessary  to  the 
happiness  of  that  potentate,  that  he  was  compelled  to  live  and 
die  in  his  dominions.  An  embassy  sent  by  Prester  John  to 
Lisbon  made  the  Portuguese  acquainted  with  Covillam's  adven 
tures.  Long  ere  this,  however,  Bartholomew  Diaz  had  sailed 
upon  the  voyage  which  has  immortalized  his  name.  He  received 
the  command  of  a  fleet,  consisting  of  two  ships  of  fifty  tons 
each,  and  of  a  tender  to  carry  provisions,  and  set  sail  towards 
the  end  of  August,  1486,  steering  directly  to  the  south.  It  is 
much  to  be  regretted  that  so  few  details  exist  in  reference  to  this 
memorable  expedition.  We  know  little  more  than  the  fact  that 
the  first  stone  pillar  which  Diaz  erected  was  placed  four  hundred 
miles  beyond  that  of  any  preceding  navigator.  Striking  out 
boldly  here  into  the  open  sea,  he  resolved  to  make  a  wide  circuit 
before  returning  landward.  He  did  so ;  and  the  first  land  he  saw, 
on  again  touching  the  continent,  lay  one  hundred  miles  to  the 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  127 

eastward  of  the  great  southern  cape,  which  he  had  passed  with 
out  seeing  it.  Ignorant  of  this,  he  still  kept  on,  amazed  that 
the  land  should  now  trend  to  the  east  and  finally  to  the  north. 
Alarmed,  and  nearly  destitute  of  provisions,  mortified  at  the 
failure  of  his  enterprise,  Diaz  unwillingly  put  back.  What  was 
his  joy  and  surprise  when  the  tremendous  and  long-sought  pro 
montory — the  object  of  the  hopes  and  desires  of  the  Portuguese 
for  seventy-five  years,  and  which,  either  from  the  distance  or  the 
haze,  had  before  been  concealed — now  burst  upon  his  view ! 

Diaz  returned  to  Portugal  in  December,  1487,  and,  in  his  nar 
rative  to  the  king,  stated  that  he  had  given  to  the  formidable 
promontory  he  had  doubled  the  name  of  "Cape  of  Tempests." 
But  the  king,  animated  by  the  conviction  that  Portugal  would 
now  reap  the  abundant  harvest  prepared  by  this  cheering  event, 
thought  he  could  suggest  a  more  appropriate  appellation.  The 
Portuguese  poet,  Camoens,  thus  alludes  to  this  circumstance : 

"  At  Lisboa's  court  they  told  their  dread  escape, 
And  from  her  raging  tempests  named  the  Cape. 
'Thou  southmost  point,'  the  joyful  king  exclaimed, 
'  CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE  be  thou  forever  named  !'  " 

Successful  and  triumphant  as  was  this  voyage  of  Diaz,  it 
eventually  tended  to  injure  the  interests  of  Portugal,  inasmuch 
as  it  withdrew  the  regards  of  King  John  from  other  and  im 
portant  plans  of  discovery,  and  rendered  him  inattentive  to  the 
efforts  of  rival  powers  upon  the  ocean.  It  caused  him,  amid 
the  intoxication  of  the  moment,  to  refuse  the  services  and  re 
ject  the  science  of  one  who  now  offered  to  conduct  the  vessels 
of  Portugal  to  the  Indies  by  an  untried  route.  It  caused  him, 
as  we  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  narrate,  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  proposals  of  Columbus,  who  had  humbly  brought  to  Lisbon 
the  mighty  scheme  with  which  he  had  been  contemptuously  re 
pulsed  from  Genoa.  We  have  arrived  at  the  Great  Era  in  Navi 
gation, — the  age  of  Columbus,  da  Gama,  and  Magellan. 


CHRISTOPHER    COLUMBUS. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

BIETH  OP  CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS — HIS  EARLY  LIFE  AND  EDUCATION — HIS 
FIRST  VOYAGE — HIS  MARRIAGE — HIS  MARITIME  CONTEMPLATIONS — HE  MAKES 
PROPOSALS  TO  THE  SENATE  OF  GENOA,  THE  COURT  OF  VENICE,  AND  THE  KING 
OF  PORTUGAL — THE  DUPLICITY  OF  THE  LATTER — COLUMBUS  VISITS  SPAIN — 
JUAN  DE  MARCHENA — COLUMBUS  REPAIRS  TO  CORDOVA — HIS  SECOND  MAR- 
RIAOE — HIS  LETTER  TO  THE  KING — THE  JUNTO  OF  SALAMANCA — COLUMBUS 
RESOLVES  TO  SHAKE  THE  DUST  OF  SPAIN  FROM  HIS  FEET — MARCHENA'S 
LETTER  TO  ISABELLA — THE  QUEEN  GIVES  AUDIENCE  TO  COLUMBUS — THE 
CONDITIONS  STIPULATED  BY  THE  LATTER — ISABELLA  ACCEPTS  THE  ENTER 
PRISE,  WHILE  FERDINAND  REMAINS  ALOOF. 

CRISTOFERO   COLOMBO   (in    Spanish    Colon,   in    French  Co- 

lomb,  in  Latin  and  English  Columbus)  was  born  in  Genoa,  in 
128 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  129 

the  year  1435.*  His  father  was  a  wool-comber,  and  Chris 
topher  followed,  for  a  time,  the  same  occupation.  He  was  sent, 
however,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  to  the  University  of  Pavia, 
where  he  seems  to  have  studied,  though  with  little  advantage, 
natural  philosophy  and  astronomy,  or,  as  it  was  then  called, 
astrology.  Returning  to  his  father's  bench,  he  worked  at  wool- 
combing,  with  his  brother  Bartholomew,  till  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  By  this  time  the  natural  influence  of  the  situa 
tion,  the  atmosphere,  and  the  traditions  of  Genoa  had  awakened 
in  him  the  tastes  and  the  ambition  of  a  sailor.  The  sea  had 
long  been  the  home  and  the  life  of  the  Genoese:  it  was  the 
theatre  of  their  glory,  and  their  avenue  to  wealth.  Christopher's 
great-uncle,  Colombo,  commanded  a  fleet  intrusted  to  him  by 
the  king,  and  with  which  he  carried  on  a  predatory  warfare 
against  the  Venetians  and  Neapolitans.  His  nephew  joined  his 
ship,  and  thus  became  acquainted  with  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Mediterranean,  which  was  at  that  period  ploughed  by  the  pirates 
of  the  Archipelago  and  the  corsairs  of  the  Barbary  States.  As 
the  vessel  went  armed  to  the  teeth,  the  young  sailor  not  only 
learned  the  art  of  navigation,  but  acquired  those  habits  of  disci 
pline  and  subordination,  of  self-command  and  presence  of  mind, 
which  afterwards  served  him  in  so  good  stead.  This  manner  of 
life  lasted  for  many  years,  till  Columbus,  at  the  age  of  thirty, 
was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Portugal,  and  reached,  with  some 
difficulty,  the  city  of  Lisbon.  Here  he  found  his  brother  Bar 
tholomew  settled,  and  occupying  himself  in  drawing  plans,  charts, 
and  maps  for  the  use  of  navigators.  Christopher  joined  him,  and 
gained  a  sufficient  livelihood  by  copying  manuscripts  and  black- 
letter  books,  and  aiding  his  brother  in  his  avocations.  He  soon 
married  an  Italian  lady  named  Felippa  di  Perestrello,  whose 


*  A  late  French  biography  of  Columbus,  a  work  of  profound  research  and 
erudition,  by  M.  Roselly  de  Lorgues,  proves  beyond  a  cavil  the  accuracy  of  this 
assertion.  The  work  in  question  was  published  under  the  auspices  of  the  Pope. 

9 


130  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

father,  now  dead,  had  been  Governor  of  the  island  of  Porto 
Santo,  one  of  the  Madeiras.  This  union  between  the  humble 
son  of  a  wool-comber  and  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  gentle 
man  is  deemed,  by  several  of  the  biographers  of  Columbus,  a 
strong  proof  of  the  nobility  of  his  ancestry.  After  his  marriage, 
he  left  for  Porto  Santo, — the  sterile  dowry  of  his  wife, — where 
his  first  son,  Diego,  was  born. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  period  was  one  of  the  greatest 
excitement  and  expectancy  in  regard  to  maritime  discovery. 
Columbus  had  long  reflected  upon  the  existence  of  land  in  the 
west,  upon  the  sphericity  of  the  earth,  and  upon  the  possibility  of 
crossing  the  Atlantic.  He  had  already  conceived  the  idea  of 
reaching  Asia  by  following  the  setting  sun  across  the  immensity 
of  the  waters.  His  mind,  too,  was  kindled  to  religious  enthu 
siasm  by  the  allusions  in  the  Bible  to  the  universal  diffusion  of 
the  gospel,  and,  in  his  dreams  of  nautical  discovery,  the  belief 
that  he  was  destined  to  be  an  apostle,  sent  to  extend  the  domi 
nion  of  the  cross,  predominated  over  more  worldly  aspirations. 
For  years,  while  struggling  with  disappointment  and  harassed 
by  poverty,  he  pursued  this  idea  with  the  pertinacity  of  a  mono 
maniac.  When  forty  years  old,  and  residing  at  Lisbon,  he  pro 
posed  to  the  Senate  of  Genoa  to  leave  the  Mediterranean  by 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  and  to  proceed  to  the  west,  in  the  sea 
known  as  the  Ocean,  as  far  as  the  "lands  where  spices  bloom," 
and  thus  circumnavigate  the  earth.  The  Genoese,  whose  mari 
time  knowledge  was  confined  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  who  had 
no  fancy  for  adventures  upon  the  ocean,  declined  listening  to  the 
proposition,  pretexting  the  penury  of  the  treasury.  It  would 
also  seem  that  overtures  made  by  Columbus  to  the  Council  of 
Venice  were  similarly  rejected.  For  a  time,  therefore,  he 
abandoned  all  efforts  to  further  his  desires.  In  1477,  he  made 
a  voyage  to  Iceland,  in  order  to  discover  whether  it  was  in 
habited,  and  even  sailed  one  hundred  leagues  beyond  it, — where, 
to  his  astonishment,  he  found  the  sea  not  frozen. 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  131 

Upon  the  accession  of  John  II.  to  the  throne  of  Portugal, — a 
sovereign  whom  we  have  already  shown  to  be  deeply  interested 
in  the  progress  of  the  art  of  navigation, — Columbus  made  known 
to  him  his  opinions  and  his  plans,  assigning  the  extension  of  the 
gospel  as  the  avowed  and  final  object  of  the  expedition.  The 
subject  was  referred  to  a  maritime  junto  and  to  a  high  council, 
by  both  of  whom  it  was  rejected  as  visionary  and  absurd.  The 
king  was  induced,  however,  by  one  of  his  councillors,  to  equip 
a  caravel  and  send  it  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  upon  the  route 
traced  out  by  Columbus,  and  thus  obtain  for  himself  the  glory  of 
the  expedition,  if  successful.  Columbus  was  invited  to  hand  in 
to  the  Government  his  maps  and  charts,  together  with  his  written 
views  upon  the  whole  subject.  This  he  did,  supposing,  in  his 
simplicity,  that  another  examination  was  to  be  made  of  the 
practicability  of  the  venture.  The  king  despatched  a  caravel, 
under  the  command  of  one  of  the  ablest  pilots  of  his  marine,  to 
follow  the  track  indicated.  The  vessel  left,  but  soon  returned, 
her  crew  having  been  appalled  at  sight  of  the  boundless  horizon, 
and  her  captain  having,  lost  his  courage  in  a  storm.  Columbus, 
indignant  at  this  duplicity,  secretly  left  Lisbon  and  returned 
home  to  Genoa.  At  this  period  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  wife  Felippa,  who  had  shared  his  confidence  in  the  existence 
of  unknown  lands,  and  whose  encouragement  had  sustained  him 
in  his  disappointments.  This  was  in  the  year  1484.  He  re 
newed  his  proposal  to  the  Senate  of  Genoa,  which  was  again 
rejected.  He  now  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  other  European  powers, 
among  whom  the  two  sovereigns  of  Spain,  Ferdinand  of  Ara- 
gon  and  Isabella  of  Castile,  seemed  to  deserve  the  preference. 

Not  far  from  Palos,  upon  the  Spanish  coast,  and  in  sight  of 
the  ocean,  stood,  upon  a  promontory  half  hidden  by  pine-trees, 
a  monastery — known  as  La  Rabida — dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  and 
inhabited  by  Franciscan  friars.  The  Superior,  Juan  Perez  de 
Marchena,  offered  an  example  of  fervent  piety  and  of  theological 
erudition,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  a  skilful  mathematician 


132  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

and  an  ardent  practitioner  of  the  exact  sciences.  He  was  at 
once  an  astronomer,  a  devotee,  and  a  poet.  During  the  hours 
of  slumber,  he  often  ascended  to  the  summit  of  the  abbey,  and, 
looking  out  upon  the  ocean, — known  as  the  Sea  of  Darkness, — 
would  ask  himself  if  beyond  this  expanse  of  waters  there  was 
no  land  yet  unclaimed  by  Christianity.  He  rejected  as  fabulous 
the  current  idea  that  a  vessel  might  sail  three  years  to  the  west 
without  reaching  a  hospitable  shore.  The  ocean,  formidable  to 
others  and  intelligible  to  few,  was  to  him  the  abode  of  secrets 
which  man  was  invited  to  unfold. 

One  day  a  traveller  rang  at  the  gate  and  asked  for  refresh 
ment  for  himself  and  his  son.  Being  interrogated  as  to  the  ob 
ject  of  his  journey,  he  replied  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 
court  of  Spain  to  communicate  an  important  matter  to  the  king 
and  queen.  The  traveller  was  Christopher  Columbus.  How  he 
came  to  pass  by  this  obscure  monastery — which  lay  altogether  off 
his  route — has  never  been  explained.  A  providential  guidance 
had  brought  him  into  the  presence  of  the  man  the  best  calculated 
to  comprehend  his  purpose,  in  a  country  where  he  was  totally 
without  friends  and  with  whose  language  he  was  completely  un 
acquainted.  A  common  sympathy  drew  them  together;  and 
Columbus,  accepting  for  a  period  the  hospitality  of  Marchena, 
made  him  the  confidant  of  his  views.  Thus,  while  the  colleges 
and  universities  of  Christendom  still  held  the  childish  theory  that 
the  earth  was  flat,  and  that  the  sea  was  the  path  to  utter  and 
outer  darkness,  Columbus  and  Marchena,  filled  with  a  sponta 
neous  and  implicit  faith,  intuitively  believed  in  the  sphericity  of 
the  globe  and  the  existence  of  a  nameless  continent  beyond  the 
ocean.  In  theory  they  had  solved  the  great  question  whether 
the  ship  which  should  depart  by  the  west  would  come  back  by 
the  east. 

Marchena  gave  Columbus  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  the 
queen's  confessor,  and,  during  his  absence,  promised  to  educate 
and  maintain  his  son  Diego.  Thus  tranquillized  in  his  affections, 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  133 

and  aided  in  his  schemes,  Columbus  departed  for  Cordova.  Here 
he  was  destined  to  undergo  another  disappointment;  for  the 
queen's  confessor,  his  expected  patron,  treated  him  as  a  dream 
ing  speculator  and  needy  adventurer.  He  soon  became  again 
isolated  and  forgotten.  In  the  midst  of  his  indigence,  however, 
a  noble  lady,  Beatrix  Enriquez,  young  and  beautiful,  though 
not  rich,  noticed  his  manners  and  his  language,  so  evidently  above 
his  condition,  and  detained  him  at  Cordova  long  after  his  hopes 
were  extinguished.  He  married  her :  she  bore  him  a  son,  Fer 
nando,  who  afterwards  became  his  father's  biographer  and  his 
torian. 

Columbus  now  wrote  to  the  king  a  brief  and  concise  letter, 
setting  forth  his  desires.  It  was  never  answered.  After  a  mul 
titude  of  similar  deceptions  and  disappointments,  Geraldini,  the 
ambassador  of  the  Pope,  presented  him  to  Mendoza,  the  Grand 
Cardinal,  through  whose  influence  Columbus  obtained  an  audience 
of  Ferdinand,  who  appointed  a  junto  of  wise  men  to  examine 
and  report  upon  his  scheme.  This  junto,  made  up  of  theologians 
and  not  of  navigators  and  geographers,  and  which  sat  at  Sala 
manca,  opposed  Columbus  on  biblical  grounds,  declared  the 
theory  a  dangerous  if  not  heretical  innovation,  and  finally  re 
ported  unfavorably.  This  decision  was  quite  in  harmony  with 
public  opinion  in  Salamanca,  where  Columbus  was  spoken  of  as 
"a  foreigner  who  asserted  that  the  world  was  round  like  an 
orange,  and  that  there  were  places  where  the  people  walked  on 
their  heads."  Seven  years  were  thus  wasted  in  solicitation,  sus 
pense,  and  disappointment.  From  time  to  time  Columbus  had 
reason  to  hope  that  his  proposals  would  be  reconsidered ;  but  in 

1490  the  siege  of  Baza,  the  last  stronghold  of  the  Moors,  and  in 

1491  the  marriage  of  Isabella,  the  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  with  Don  Alonzo  of  Portugal,  absorbed  the  attention 
of  their  majesties  to  the  exclusion  of  all  scientific  pre- occupations. 
Finally,  when  the  matter  was  reopened,  and  the  junto  was  re 
assembled,  its  president,  Fernando  de  Talavera,  was  instructed 


134  MAN    UPON    THE    6EA. 

to  say  that  the  exhaustion  of  the  treasury  necessitated  the  post 
ponement  of  the  whole  subject  until  the  close  of  the  war  with 
Grenada.  At  last,  Columbus,  reflecting  upon  the  delays,  re 
fusals,  affronts,  and  suspicions  of  which  he  had  been  the  object, 
the  time  he  had  wasted,  and  the  antechambers  in  which  he  had 
waited  the  condescension  of  the  great,  resolved  to  shake  the  dust 
of  Spain  from  his  feet,  and  returned  to  the  abbey  of  his  friend 
Marchena.  He  arrived  there  bearing  upon  his  person  the  im 
press  of  poverty,  fatigue,  and  exhausted  patience.  Marchena 
was  profoundly  annoyed  by  the  reflection  that  the  glory  of  the 
future  discoveries  of  Columbus  would  be  thus  taken  from  Spain 
and  conferred  upon  some  rival  power.  Fearing,  however,  that 
he  had  too  readily  lent  his  ear  to  theories  which  had  been  twice 
rejected  as  puerile  by  a  competent  junto,  he  sent  for  an  eminent 
mathematician  of  Palos,  Garcia  Hernandez,  a  physician  by  pro 
fession.  They  then  conferred  together  upon  the  subject  and  pro 
nounced  the  execution  of  the  project  feasible.  The  assertion  that 
the  famous  sailor  Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon  was  a  party  to  the  confer 
ence  would  appear  to  be  an  error.  Pinzon  was  at  this  period  at 
Rome,  and  did  not  see  Columbus  for  a  year  or  more  afterwards. 
Marchena  at  once  wrote  an  eloquent  letter  to  Queen  Isabella, 
and  intrusted  it  to  a  pilot  whose  relations  with  the  court  rendered 
him  a  safe  and  reliable  messenger.  He  gave  the  missive  into 
the  hands  of  the  queen,  and  returned  to  the  monastery  the 
bearer  of  an  invitation  to  Marchena  to  repair  at  once  to  Santa 
Fe,  where  the  court  then  was,  engaged  in  investing  Grenada. 
Columbus  borrowed  a  mule  for  the  friar,  who  left  secretly  at 
midnight  and  arrived  safely  at  Santa  Fe.  That  Isabella  should, 
at  such  a  moment,  when  engaged  in  war  and  harassed  by  finan 
cial  embarrassments,  listen  to  a  proposition  which  had  been  twice 
condemned  by  a  learned  body  of  men,  is  a  circumstance  which 
entitles  her  in  the  highest  degree  to  a  share  in  the  glory  which 
her  prote'ge'  Columbus  was,  through  her,  destined  to  obtain. 
She  received  Marchena  graciously,  and  instructed  him  to  summon 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  135 

Columbus,  to  whom  she  sent  twenty  thousand  maravedis — 
seventy  dollars,  nearly — with  which  to  purchase  a  horse,  and 
a  proper  dress  in  which  to  appear  before  her. 

Columbus  arrived  at  Santa  Fe  just  before  the  surrender  of 
Grenada  and  the  termination  of  the  struggle  between  the  Cres 
cent  and  the  Cross.  He  was  present  at  the  delivery  of  the  keys 
of  the  city  and  the  abandonment  of  the  Alhambra  to  Isabella 
by  the  Moorish  king,  Boabdil  el '  Chico.  After  the  official  re 
joicings,  the  queen  gave  audience  to  Columbus.  As  she  already 
believed  in  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  the  only  subjects  to 
be  discussed  were  the  means  of  execution,  and  the  recompense  to 
be  awarded  to  Columbus  in  case  of  success.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  consider  this  latter  point.  Columbus  fixed  his  con 
ditions  as  follows: 

He  should  receive  the  title  of  Grand  Admiral  of  the  Ocean : 

He  should  be  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  all  islands  and 
mainlands  he  might  discover : 

He  should  levy  a  tax  for  his  own  benefit  upon  all  productions 
— whether  spices,  fruits,  perfumes,  gold,  silver,  pearls,  or  dia 
monds — discovered  in,  or  exported  from,  the  lands  under  his 
authority : 

And  his  titles  should  be  transmissible  in  his  family,  forever, 
by  the  laws  of  primogeniture. 

These  conditions,  being  such  as  would  place  the  threadbare 
solicitor  above  the  noblest  house  in  Spain,  were  treated  with  de 
rision  by  the  committee,  and  Columbus  was  regarded  as  an  in 
solent  braggart.  He  would  not  abate  one  tittle  of  his  claims, 
though,  after  eighteen  years  of  fruitless  effort,  he  now  saw  all  his 
hopes  at  the  point  of  being  again  dashed  to  earth.  He  mounted 
his  mule,  and  departed  for  Cordova  before  quitting  Spain  for 
ever. 

Two  friends  of  the  queen  now  represented  the  departure  of 
Columbus  as  an  immense  and  irreparable  loss,  and,  by  their  sup 
plications  and  protestations,  induced,  her  once  more  to  consider 


136  MAN   UPON  THE   SEA. 

the  vast  importance  of  the  plans  he  proposed.  Moved  by  their 
persuasions,  sh^  declared  that  she  accepted  the  enterprise,  not 
jointly,  as  the  wife  of  the  King  of  Spain,  but  independently,  as 
Queen  of  Castile.  As  the  treasury  was  depleted  by  the  drains 
of  war,  she  offered  to  defray  the  expenses  with  her  own  jewels. 
A  messenger  was  despatched  for  Columbus,  who  was  overtaken 
a  few  miles  from  Grenada.  He  at  first  hesitated  to  return  ;  but, 
after  reflecting  upon  the  heroic  determination  of  Isabella,  who 
thus  took  the  initiative  in  a  perilous  undertaking,  against  the  re 
port  of  the  junto,  the  advice  of  her  councillors,  and  in  spite  of 
the  indifference  of  the  king,  he  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and  re 
turned  to  Santa  Fe. 

He  was  received  with  distinction  by  the  court  and  with  affec 
tionate  consideration  by  the  queen.  Ferdinand  remained  a 
stranger  to  the  expedition.  He  applied  his  signature  to  the 
stipulations,  but  caused  it  to  be  distinctly  set  down  that  the 
whole  affair  was  undertaken  by  the  Queen  of  Castile,  at  her  own 
risk  and  peril, — thus  excluding  himself  forever  from  lot  or  parcel 
in  this  transcendent  enterprise. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    PORT    OP    PALOS — THE     SUPERSTITION     OF    ITS     MARINERS — THE     HAND    OF 

SATAN A     BIRD    WHICH     LIFTED     VESSELS     TO     THE    CLOUDS THE    PINTA   AND 

THE      NINA THE      SANTA     MARIA CAPACITY     OF     A     SPANISH     CAKAVEL THE 

THREE       PINZONS THE       DEPARTURE COLUMBUS'       JOURNAL THE      HELM      OF 

THE    PINTA    UNSHIPPED THE    VARIATION    OF    THE    NEEDLE THE    APPEARANCE 

OF    THE     TROPICAL     ATLANTIC FLOATING    VEGETATION THE    SARGASSO    SEA — 

ALARM,    AND     THREATENED     MUTINY,    OF    THE    SAILORS PERPLEXITIES    OF    CO 
LUMBUS — LAND!  LAND!    A  FALSE  ALARM — INDICATIONS   OF   THE   VICINITY  OF 

LAND MURMURS     OF    THE    CREWS OPEN    BEVOLT     QUELLED    BY     COLUMBUS 

FLOATING      REEDS      AND      TUFTS      OF      GRASS LAND      AT      LAST THE      VESSELS 

ANCHOR    OVER-NIGHT. 

COLUMBUS  received  his  letters-patent,  granting  him  all  the 
privileges  and  titles  he  had  demanded,  on  the  30th  of  April, 
1492.  His  son  Diego  was  made  page  to  the  prince-royal, — 
a  favor  only  accorded  to  children  of  noble  families.  The 
harbor  of  Palos  was  chosen  as  the  port  of  departure ;  and  its 
inhabitants,  whose  annual  taxes  consisted  in  furnishing  two 
caravels,  armed  and  manned,  to  the  Government,  were  in 
structed  to  place  them,  within  ten  days,  at  the  orders  of 
Columbus.  Persons  awaiting  trial  or  condemnation  were  to 
have  the  privilege  of  escaping  verdict  and  punishment  by 
embarking  upon  this  terrible  and  perhaps  fatal  voyage. 

The  mariners  of  Palos  received  these  tidings  with  dismay. 
Nothing  was  certainly  in  those  days  more  calculated  to  strike 
with  terror  the  cautious  coaster  than  a  voyage  upon  the  bound 
less,  endless  MARE  TENEBROSUM,  which,  in  the  imagination  not 
only  of  the  ignorant,  but  even  of  the  educated,  was  the  home 

137 


138  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

of  chaos,  if  not  the  seat  of  Erebus.  Upon  the  maps  of  the 
world  designed  at  this  period,  the  words  Mare  Tenebrosum  were 
surrounded  with  figures  of  imps  and  devils,  compared  to  which 
the  Cyclops,  griffins,  and  centaurs  of  mythology  were  modest 
and  benign  creations.  The  Arabians,  who  were  forbidden  by 
the  Koran  to  depict  the  forms  of  animals,  gave,  as  they  thought, 
a  fitting  character  to  the  sea,  by  representing  the  hand  of  Satan 
upon  their  charts,  ready  to  clutch  and  drag  beneath  the  waves 
all  who  should  be  so  rash  as  to  brave  the  displeasure  of  Bahr-al- 
Talmet.  Besides  Satan,  besides  the  Leviathan  and  Behemoth,  and 
other  similar  submarine  terrors,  the  adventurer  upon  the  open 
sea  would  find  adversaries  in  the  air;  and,  if  he  escaped  the  blast 
and  the  thunderbolt,  it  would  be  to  fall  a  victim  to  the  roc,  that 
gigantic  bird  which  lifted  ships  into  the  air  and  crunched  them 
in  the  clouds.  This  roc,  from  terrifying  the  companions  of 
Columbus,  has  descended  to  amuse  children  in  the  nautical 
romance  of  Sinbad  the  Sailor. 

Time  passed,  and  the  authorities  of  Palos  had  yet  furnished 
nothing  towards  the  voyage.  Owners  of  vessels  hid  them  in 
distant  creeks,  and  the  port  became  gradually  a  desert.  The 
court  ordered  stringent  measures,  and  at  last  a  caravel  named 
the  Pinta  was  seized  and  laid  up  for  repairs.  All  the  carpenters 
turned  sick,  and  neither  rope,  wood,  nor  tar  were  to  be  found.  In 
vain  did  Marchena,  the  zealous  Franciscan  of  Palos,  who  was 
beloved  by  all  its  inhabitants,  undertake  a  crusade  among  the 
seafaring  population  in  favor  of  the  project:  the  whole  Anda- 
lusian  coast  considered  it  chimerical  and  a  temptation  of  Pro 
vidence. 

Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  one  of  three  brothers,  all  seamen,  and 
who  had  at  this  period  lately  returned  from  Rome,  where  the 
Pope's  librarian  had  shown  him  a  map  bearing  the  representa 
tion  of  land  in  the  Atlantic  to  the  west,  was  introduced  by  Mar 
chena  to  Columbus.  The  report  soon  became  current  that  the 
brothers,  whose  credit  and  influence  at  Palos  were  very  great, 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  139 

intended  to  risk  the  adventure  on  board  of  the  caravel  Nina, 
belonging  to  the  younger  of  the  three.  The  mariners  took 
courage,  and  the  city  of  Palos  contributed  its  second  caravel, 
the  Gallega,  making  three  in  all.  This  Gallega,  though  old 
and  heavy  and  unfit  for  the  service,  was  stout  and  solid,  and 
Columbus  chose  her  for  his  flag-ship,  rebaptizing  her,  however, 
the  Santa  Maria.  Towards  the  end  of  July,  the  vessels  were 
nearly  ready  for  sea,  and  Columbus  retired  for  a  period  to  the 
monastery,  where  he  passed  his  days  in  prayer  and  his  nights 
in  contemplation.  On  one  occasion  he  left  the  convent  and 
appeared  among  the  workmen:  he  surprised  the  sailors,  con 
demned  by  the  city  to  accompany  him  to  the  west,  engaged  in 
putting  the  rudder  of  the  Pinta  together  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  first  storm  would  unship  it.  Marchena  redoubled  his  exhor 
tations,  and  at  last  the  expedition  was  ready. 

Popular  belief  has,  in  modern  times,  represented  these  vessels 
as  much  smaller  than  they  probably  really  were.  The  term 
caravel,  of  doubtful  etymology,  affords  no  indication  of  their 
tonnage  or  capacity.  Caravels  were  used,  however,  to  trans 
port  troops,  provisions,  and  artillery,  and  even  to  fight  upon 
the  high  seas.  They  were  sent  by  Portugal  to  the  coast  of 
Africa.  John  II.  had,  as  we  have  narrated,  sent  a  vessel  to 
the  west  in  order  to  anticipate  Columbus ;  and  this  vessel  was 
a  caravel.  The  smallest  of  the  three — the  Nina — subsequently, 
when  at  sea,  took  on  board  fifty-six  men,  in  addition  to  her  own 
crew,  a  number  of  cannon,  and  a  portion  of  the  rigging  of  the 
Santa  Maria,  without  lowering  her  water-line;  and  Columbus 
once  threatened  a  Portuguese  officer  to  take  one  hundred  of  his 
men  on  board  the  Nina  and  carry  them  to  Castile.  Neither  she, 
nor  the  other  two  caravels,  were  the  "light  barks"  or  "shal 
lops"  which  historians  have  delighted  to  represent  them.  The 
importance  of  the  subject  requires  that  we  describe  the  three 
vessels  with  all  the  minuteness  which  the  late  researches  of 
which  we  have  spoken  will  authorize. 


140  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

The  Santa  Maria  measured  about  ninety  feet  at  the  keel. 
She  had  four  masts,  two  of  them  square-rigged,  and  two  fur 
nished  with  the  lateen-sails  of  the  Mediterranean.  She  had 
a  deck  extending  from  stem  to  stern,  and  a  double  deck  at  the 
poop,  twenty-six  feet  long, — one-third,  nearly,  of  her  entire 
length.  The  double  deck  was  pierced  for  cannon,  the  forward- 
deck  being  armed  with  smaller  pieces,  used  for  throwing  stones 
and  grape.  From  the  journal  of  Columbus  we  know  thdt  he 
employed,  in  the  manoeuvres,  quite  a  complicated  system  of 
ropes  and  pulleys.  Eight  anchors  hung  over  her  sides.  She 
represented  in  her  general  characteristics  a  modern  vessel  of 
twenty  guns.  She  was  manned  by  sixty-six  men,  not  one  of 
whom  was  from  Palos, — one  of  them  being  an  Englishman,  and 
one  an  Irishman, — and  was  commanded  by  Columbus. 

The  Pinta  and  the  Nina  were  decked  only  forward  and  aft, 
the  space  in  the  middle  being  entirely  uncovered.  Their 
armament  was  equal  to  that  of  sloops  of  sixteen  and  ten  guns 
respectively.  Alonzo  Pinzon  commanded  the  Pinta,  whose  total 
crew,  including  the  officers,  numbered  thirty  men.  The  youngest 
of  the  three  Pinzons,  Vincent  Yanez,  commanded  the  Nina, 
with  twenty-three  men.  The  provisions  of  the  fleet  consisted 
of  smoked  beef,  salt  pork,  rice,  dried  peas  and  other  vegetablel, 
herrings,  wine,  oil,  vinegar,  &c.,  sufficient  for  a  year. 

As  the  day  approached  and  the  danger  grew  more  imminent, 
the  apprehension  increased,  and  the  sailors  expressed  a  desire  to 
reconcile  themselves  with  Heaven  and  obtain  absolution  for  their 
sins.  They  went  in  procession  to  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida, 
with  Columbus  at  their  head,  and  received  the  Eucharist  from 
the  hands  of  the  Franciscan  Marchena.  Columbus,  while  wait 
ing  for  the  land-breeze,  retired  for  a  last  time  to  the  convent,  to 
meditate  upon  the  duties  before  him  and  to  peruse  his  favorite 
book,  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  the  3d  of  August  he  was  awakened  by  the  murmuring  of  the 
long  wished  for  wind  in  the  tops  of  the  pine-trees  which  bordered 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  141 

his  cell.  The  coming  day  was  Friday,  a  day  inauspicious  to 
sailors,  but  to  him  a  day  of  good  omen.  He  arose,  summoned 
Marchena,  from  whom  he  received  the  communion,  and  then 
descended,  on  foot,  the  steep  declivity  which  leads  to  Palos. 

The  Santa  Maria  at  once  sent  her  boat  to  receive  the  admiral, 
and  at  the  sound  of  the  preparations  and  the  orders  of  the  pilots, 
the  inhabitants  awoke  and  opened  wide  their  windows.  Mothers, 
wives  and  sisters,  fathers  and  brothers,  ran  in  confusion  to  the 
shore,  to  bid  a  last  farewell  to  those  whom  they  might  perhaps 
never  see  again.  The  royal  standard,  representing  the  Cruci 
fixion,  was  hoisted  at  the  main;  and  Columbus,  standing  upon 
the  quarter-deck,  gave  the  order  to  spread  the  sails  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Thus  commenced  the  most  memorable  venture 
upon  the  ocean  that  man  had  then  made  or  has  made  since, — 
the  record  of  whose  shortest  day  is  more  stored  with  incident 
than  was  the  whole  voyage  of  Jason,  from  the  Whirling  Rocks 
to  the  Golden  Fleece. 

Columbus  commenced  his  journal  at  once,  and  it  is  from  the 
passages  of  this  narrative  which  are  still  extant,  that  we  shall 
derive  an  account  of  the  voyage.  He  begins  by  declaring  the 
object  of  the  expedition  to  be  to  extend  the  blessings  of  the 
gospel  to  nations  supposed  to  be  without  it.  He  adds,  that  he 
shall  write  at  night  the  events  of  the  day,  and  each  morning  the 
occurrences  of  the  night.  He  will  mark  the  lands  he  shall  dis- 
discover  upon  the  chart,  and  will  banish  sleep  from  his  eyelids 
in  order  to  watch  the  progress  of  his  vessel. 

All  went  well  till  Monday,  when  the  helm  of  the  Pinta  fell  to 
pieces, — this  accident  having  been  a  second  time  prepared  by 
her  refractory  owners.  The  fleet  made  the  best  of  their  way  to 
the  Canaries,  where  the  Pinta  was  repaired.  They  sailed  again 
on  the  6th  of  September,  narrowly  escaping  attack  from  three 
Portuguese  caravels  that  King  John,  had  sent  against  Columbus, 
indignant  that  he  should  have  trantferred  to  another  power  the 
proposal  he  had  once  made  to  himself. 


142  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Thus  far  the  route  had  lain  over  the  beaten  track  between  the 
continent  and  the  Canaries,  along  the  coast  of  Africa.  As  they 
now  launched  into  the  open  sea,  and  as  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe 
sank  under  the  horizon  behind  them,  the  heart  of  Columbus  beat 
high  with  joy,  while  the  courage  of  his  officers  and  men  died 
away  within  them.  The  Admiral  kept  two  logs,  one  for  himself 
and  one  for  the  crew,  fche  latter  scoring  a  distance  less  than  that 
which  they  had  really  made,  and  thus  keeping  them  in  ignorance 
of  their  actual  distance  from  home.  His  course  was  to  the 
southwest.  The  sky,  the  stars,  the  horizon,  the  water,  changed 
visibly  as  they  advanced.  Familiar  constellations  disappeared, 
others  took  their,  place.  On  the  13th  of  September,  Columbus 
observed  a  strange  and  fearful  phenomenon.  The  needle,  which 
till  then  had  been  infallible,  swerved  from  the  Polar  star,  and 
tremblingly  diverged  to  the  northwest.  The  next  day  this 
variation  was  still  more  marked.  Columbus  took  every  pre 
caution  to  conceal  a  discovery  so  discouraging  from  the  fleet, 
and  one  which  alarmed  even  him.  The  water  now  became  more 
limpid,  the  climate  more  bland,  and  the  sky  more  transparent. 
There  was  a  delicate  haze  in  the  air,  and  a  fragrance  peculiar  to 
the  sea  in  the  fresh  breeze.  Aquatic  plants,  apparently  newly 
detached  from  the  rocks  or  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  floated  upon  the 
waves.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world,  the  tranquil 
beauties  and  the  solemn  splendors  of  the  tropical  Atlantic  were 
passing  before  the  gaze  of  human  beings.  According  to  the  journal 
of  Columbus,  "nothing  was  wanting  in  the  scene  except  the  song 
of  the  nightingale  to  remind  him  of  Andalusia  in  April." 

The  proximity  of  land  seemed  often  to  be  indicated  by  the 
odor  with  which  the  winds  were  laden,  by  the  abundance  of 
marine  plants,  and  the  presence  of  birds.  Columbus  would  not 
alter  his  course,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  abate  the  confidence  of 
his  men  in  his  own  belief  that  land  was  to  be  found  by  steering 
west.  The  floating  vegetation  now  became  so  abundant  that  it 
retarded  the  passage  of  the  vessels.  The  sailors  became  seriously 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  143 

alarmed.  They  thought  themselves  arrived  at  the  limit  of  the 
world,  where  an  element,  too  unstable  to  tread  upon,  too  dense  to 
sail  through,  admonished  the  rash  stranger  to  take  warning  and 
return.  They  feared  that  the  caravels  would  be  involved  be 
yond  extrication,  and  that  the  monsters  lying  in  wait  beneath 
the  floating  herbage  would  make  an  easy  meal  of  their  defence 
less  crews.  The  trade-winds,  then  unknown,  were  another  cause 
of  anxiety;  for,  if  they  always  blew  to  the  westward, -as  they 
appeared  to  do,  how  could  the  ships  ever  return  eastward  to 
Europe?  In  the  midst  of  the  apprehensions  excited  by  these 
causes,  which  nearly  drove  the  terrified  men  to  mutiny,  a  con 
trary  wind  sprang  up,  and  the  revolt  was  thus  providentially 
quelled.  Columbus  wrote  in  his  journal,  "this  opposing  wind 
came  very  opportunely,  for  my  crew  was  in  great  agitation, 
imagining  that  no  wind  ever  blew  in  these  regions  by  which  they 
could  return  to  Spain." 

But  the  terrors  of  the  ignorant  men  soon  broke  out  afresh.  Sea 
weed  and  tropical  marine  plants  reappeared  in  heavy  masses, 
and  seemed  to  shut  in  the  ships  among  their  stagnant  growth. 
The  breeze  no  longer  formed  billows  upon  the  surface  of  the 
waters.  The  sailors  declared  that  they  were  in  those  dismal 
quarters  of  the  world  where  the  winds  lose  their  impulse  and 
the  waters  their  equilibrium,  and  that  soon  fierce  aquatic  mon 
sters  would  seize  hold  of  the  keels  of  the  ships  and  keep  them 
prisoners  amid  the  weeds.  In  the  midst  of  the  perplexities  to 
which  Columbus  was  thus  exposed,  the  sea  became  suddenly 
agitated,  though  the  wind  did  not  increase.  This  revival  of 
motion  in  Jhe  element  they  thought  relapsed  into  sullen  inactivity, 
again  cheered  the  crew  into  a  temporary  tranquillity.* 


*  This  tract,  so  thickly  matted  with  Gulf-weed,  and  covering  an  area  equal 
in  extent  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  has  since  been  called  by  the  Portuguese 
the  Sargasso  Sea.  It  still  exists  in  the  same  spot,  and  if  we  now  hear  very 
little  of  it,  it  is  because  navigators  have  learned  to  avoid  it.  Lieut.  Maury  ac- 


144  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

At  sunset  on  the  25th,  Alonzo  Pinzon,  rushing  excitedly  upon 
the  quarter-deck  of  the  Pinta,  shouted,  "  Land !  land !  My  lord, 
I  was  the  first  to  see  it!"  The  sailors  of  the  Nina  clambered 
joyfully  into  the  tops,  and  Columbus  fell  upon  his  knees  in 
thanksgiving.  But  the  morn  dissipated  the  illusion,  and  the 
ocean  stretched  forth  its  illimitable  expanse  as  before.  On  the 
1st  of  October,  one  of  the  lieutenants  declared  with  anguish  that 
they  were  seventeen  hundred  miles  from  the  Canaries,  intelli 
gence  which  terribly  alarmed  the  crew,  though  they  had  really 
made  a  much  greater  distance,  being  actually  twenty-one  hun 
dred  miles  from  Teneriffe,  according  to  Columbus'  private  reck 
oning. 

The  indications  of  the  vicinity  of  land  had  been  so  often  de 
ceitful,  that  the  crew  no  longer  put  faith  in  them,  and  fell  from 
discouragement  into  taciturnity,  and  from  taciturnity  into  insub 
ordination.  The  discontent  was  general,  and  no  efforts  were 
made  to  conceal  it.  In  their  mutinous  conversations,  they  spoke 
contemptuously  of  Columbus  as  "the  Genoese,"  as  a  charlatan 
and  a  rogue.  Was  it  just,  they  said,  that  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  should  perish  by  the  caprice  and  obstinacy  of  one 
single  man,  and  that  man  a  foreigner  and  an  impostor  ?  If  he 
persisted  in  proceeding  "  towards  his  everlasting  west,  which  went 
on  and  on,  and  never  came  to  an  end,"  he  ought  to  be  thrown 
into  the  sea  and  left  there.  On  their  return  they  could  easily 
say  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  waves  while  gazing  at  the  stars. 
A  revolt  was  agreed  upon  between  the  crews  of  the  three  ships, 

counts  for  its  existence  in  the  following  manner : — "  Patches  of  this  weed  are 
always  to  be  seen  floating  along  the  Gulf  Stream.  Now,  if  bits  of  cork,  or 
chaff,  or  any  floating  substance,  be  put  in  a  basin,  and  a  circular  motion  be 
given  to  the  water,  all  the  light  substances  will  be  found  crowding  together  near 
the  centre  of  the  pool,  where  there  is  the  least  motion.  Just  such  a  basin  is 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  the  Sargasso  Sea  is  the  centre  of 
the  whirl.  Columbus  found  this  weedy  sea  in  his  voyage  of  discovery,  and 
there  it  has  remained  to  this  day." 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  145 

who  were  on  several  occasions  brought  into  communication  by 
the  sending  of  boats  from  the  one  to  the  other.  The  captains 
of  the  Pinta  and  the  Nina  were  aware  of  what  was  transpiring, 
but  for  the  time  being  maintained  a  cautious  neutrality.  The 
sea  continued  calm  as  the  Guadalquivir  at  Seville,  the  air  was 
laden  with  tropical  fragrance,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  the  fleet, 
apparently  at  rest,  glided  imperceptibly  over  one  hundred  and 
eighty  miles.  This  motionless  rapidity,  as  it  were,  thoroughly 
terrified  the  crew,  and,  breaking  out  into  open  mutiny,  they  re 
fused,  on  the  10th  of  October,  to  go  any  farther  westward.  The 
Nina  and  the  Pinta  rejoined  the  Santa  Maria;  the  brothers 
Pinzon,  followed  by  their  men,  leaped  upon  her  deck,  and  com 
manded  Columbus  to  put  his  ship  about  and  return  to  Palos. 

At  this  most  vital  point  of  the  narrative,  our  authorities  are 
contradictory,  while  the  journal  of  Columbus  himself  is  silent. 
According  to  Oviedo, — a  writer  who  obtained  his  information  from 
an  enemy  of  Columbus, — the  latter  yielded  to  his  men  so  far  as  to 
propose  a  compromise,  and  to  consent  to  return  unless  land  was 
discovered  in  three  days'  sail.  To  say  the  least,  such  a  submis 
sion  to  the  menaces  and  behests  of  his  infuriated  subalterns  was 
not  an  act  compatible  with  the  character  of  Columbus,  with  his 
well  known  self-reliance,  and  his  openly  expressed  and  constantly 
reiterated  confidence  in  the  Divine  protection.  The  Catholic 
biography,  which  we  have  quoted,  attributes  the  pacification  of 
the  revolt  directly  to  the  Divine  interference,  asserting  that  no 
human  philosophy  can  explain  this  sudden  and  complete  suspen 
sion  of  the  prevailing  exasperation  and  animosity.  It  is  certain, 
at  any  rate,  that  the  demonstration,  which  began  at  night-fall, 
had  ceased  long  before  the  morning's  dawn. 

And  now  pigeons  flew  in  abundance  about  the  ships,  and 
green  canes  and  reeds  floated  languidly  by.  A  bush,  its 
branches  red  with  berries,  was  recovered  from  the  water  by 
the  Nina.  A  tuft  of  grass  and  a  piece  of  wood,  which  appeared 

to  have  been  cut  by  some  iron  instrument,  were  picked  up  by 

10 


146  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

the  Pinta.  Such  indications  were  sufficient  to  sustain  the  most 
dejected.  Still  the  sun  sank  to  rest  in  a  horizon  whose  pure 
line  was  unbroken  by  land  and  unsullied  by  terrestrial  vapor. 
The  caravels  were  called  together,  and,  after  the  usual  prayer 
to  the  Virgin,  Columbus  announced  to  them  that  their  trials 
were  at  an  end,  and  that  the  morrow's  light  would  bring  with  it 
the  realization  of  all  their  hopes.  The  pilots  were  instructed 
to  take  in  sail  after  midnight,  and  a  velvet  pourpoint  was  pro 
mised  to  him  who  should  first  see  land.  The  crews  which,  two 
days  before,  considered  Columbus  as  a  trickster  and  a  cheat, 
now  received  his  word  as  they  would  a  gospel  from  on  high. 
The  expectation  and  impatience  which  pervaded  the  three  ships 
were  indescribable.  No  eye  was  closed  that  night.  The  Pinta, 
being  the  most  rapid  sailer,  was  a  long  way  in  advance  of  the 
others.  The  Nina  and  the  Santa  Maria  followed  slowly,  for 
sail  had  now  been  shortened,  in  her  track.  Suddenly  a  flash 
and  a  heavy  report  from  the  Pinta  announced  the  joyful  tidings. 
A  Spaniard  of  Palos,  named  Juan  Rodriguez  Bermejo,  had  seen 
the  land  and  won  the  velvet  pourpoint.  Columbus  fell  upon  his 
knees,  and,  raising  his  hands  to  heaven,  sang  the  Te  Deum  Lau- 
damus.  The  sails  were  then  furled  and  the  fleet  lay  to.  Arms 
and  holiday  dresses  were  prepared,  for  they  knew  not  what  the 
day  would  bring  forth,  whether  the  land  would  offer  hospitality 
or  challenge  to  combat.  The  great  mystery  of  the  ocean  was  to 
be  revealed  on  the  morrow :  in  the  meantime,  the  night  and  the 
darkness  had  in  their  keeping  the  mighty  secret — whether  the 
land  was  a  savage  desert  or  a  spicy  and  blooming  garden. 


COLUMBUS     TAKING     POSSESSION     OF     GUANAHANI. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DISCOVERT     OP      GUANAHANI — CEREMONIES     OF    TAKING     POSSESSION — EXPLORA 
TION    OF    THE    NEIGHBORING    ISLANDS SEARCH  FOR  GOLD CUBA  SUPPOSED    BY 

COLUMBUS    TO    BE    JAPAN THE    CANNIBALS HAITI — RETURN     HOMEWARDS A 

STORM — AN    APPEAL    TO    THE    VIRGIN ARRIVAL    AT    THE    AZORES CONDUCT    OF 

THE     PORTUGUESE — COLUMBUS     AT      LISBON — AT     PALOS AT     BARCELONA — CO- 

LUMBUS*      SECOND     VOYAGE — DISCOVERY      OF      GUADELOUPE,      ANTIGOA,     SANTA 

CRUZ,     JAMAICA ILLNESS     OF     COLUMBUS TERRIBLE     BATTLE     BETWEEN     THE 

SPANIARDS  AND  THE  SAVAGES COLUMBUS  RETURNS  TO  SPAIN HIS  RECEP 
TION  BY  THE  QUEEN HIS  THIRD  VOYAGE THE  REGION  OF  CALMS — DIS 
COVERY  OF  TRINIDAD  AND  OF  THE  MAIN  LAND — ASSUMPgiON  AND  MARGA 
RITA COLUMBUS  IN  CHAINS. 

ON  Friday,  the  12th  of  October,  1492,  the  kindling  dawn 
revealed  to  the  wondering  eyes  of  our  adventurers  the  bright 
colors  and  early-morning  beauties  of  an  island  clothed  in  ver 
dure,  and  teeming  with  the  fruits  and  vegetation  of  mid-autumn 
in  the  tropics.  Its  surface  undulated  gently,  massive  forests 
skirted  the  spots  cleared  for  cultivation,  and  the  sparkling  water 
of  a  fresh  lake  glittered  amid  the  luxuriant  foliage  which  encir 
cled  it.  An  anchorage  was  easily  found,  and  Columbus,  dressed 
in  official  costume,  and  bearing  the  royal  standard  in  his  hand, 
landed  upon  the  silent  and  deserted  shore.  He  planted  the 

standard,  and,  prostrating  himself  before  it,  kissed  the  earth  he 

147 


148  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

had  discovered;  he  then  uttered  the  since  famous  prayer,  the 
opening  lines  of  which  were,  by  order  of  the  Spanish  sovereigns, 
repeated  by  subsequent  discoverers  upon  all  similar  occasions. 
He  drew  his  sword,  and,  naming  the  land  San  Salvador,  in  memory 
of  the  Saviour,  took  possession  of  it  for  the  Crown  of  Castile. 
The  crews  recognised  Columbus  as  Admiral  of  the  Ocean  and 
Viceroy  of  the  Indies.  The  most  mutinous  and  outrageous 
thronged  closely  about  him,  and  crouched  at  the  feet  of  one 
who,  in  their  eyes,  had  already  wealth  and  honors  in  his  gift. 

The  island  at  which  Columbus  had  landed  was  called  by  the 
natives  Guanahani,  and  is  now  one  of  the  archipelago  of  the 
Bahamas.  The  inhabitants  had  retreated  to  the  woods  at  the 
arrival  of  the  strangers ;  but,  being  gradually  reassured,  suffered 
their  confidence  to  be  won,  and  received  from  them  fragments 
of  glass  and  earthen-ware  as  presents  possessing  a  supernatural 
virtue.  Columbus  took  seven  of  them  on  board,  being  anxious 
to  convey  them  to  Spain  and  offer  them  to  the  king,  promising 
however  to  return  them.  Then  he  weighed  anchor  and  explored 
the  wonderful  region  in  which  these  lovely  islands  lie.  New 
lands  were  constantly,  as  it  were,  rising  from  the  waves ;  the  eye 
could  hardly  number  them,  but  the  seven  natives  called  over  a 
hundred  of  them  by  name.  He  landed  successively  at  Concep- 
c,ion,  la  Fernandine,  and  Isabella ;  at  all  of  which  he  was  en 
chanted  by  the  magnificence  of  the  vegetation,  the  superb 
plumage  of  the  birds,  and  the  delicious  fragrance  with  which  the 
forests  and  the  air  were  filled.  He  sought  everywhere  for 
traces  of  gold  in  the  soil,  for  he  hoped  thus  to  interest  Spain  in 
a  continuance  of  his  explorations.  Such  was  his  desire  to  ob 
tain  a  sight  of  the  precious  metal,  that  he  passed  rapidly  from 
island  to  island,  indifferent  to  every  other  subject.  At  last,  the 
natives  spoke  of  a  large  and  marvellous  land,  called  Cuba,  where 
there  were  spices,  gold,  ships,  and  merchants.  Supposing  this 
to  be  the  wonderful  Cipango,  described  by  Marco  Polo,  he  set 
sail  at  once.  It  was  now  the  24th  of  October. 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  149 

On  the  28th,  at  dawn,  Columbus  discovered  an  island,  which, 
in  its  extent  and  in  its  general  characteristics,  reminded  him 
strongly  of  Sicily,  in  the  Mediterranean.  As  he  approached,  his 
senses  underwent  a  species  of  confusion  from  the  miraculous 
fertility  and  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation.  In  his  journal,  he 
does  not  attempt  to  describe  his  emotions,  but,  preserving  the 
silence  of  stupefaction,  says  simply  that  "he  never  saw  any  thing 
so  magnificent."  He  no  longer  doubted  that  this  beautiful  spot 
was  the  real  Cipango.  He  landed,  gave  to  the  island  the  name 
of  Juana,  and  commenced  a  search  for  gold,  which  resulted  in  a 
complete  disappointment.  On  leaving  Cuba,  he  gave  it  a  name 
which  he  thought  more  appropriate  than  Juana,  styling  its 
eastern  extremity  Alpha  and  Omega,  being,  as  he  thought,  the 
region  where  the  East  Indies  finished  and  where  the  West 
Indies  began.  This  error  of  Columbus  was  the  cause  of  the 
North  American  savages  being  called  Indians — an  error  which 
has  been  perpetuated  in  spite  of  the  progress  of  geographical 
discovery,  and  which  will  doubtless  endure  forever. 

On  the  6th  of  December,  he  discovered  an  island,  named 
Haiti  by  the  natives,  and  which  he  called  Hispaniola,  as  it  re 
minded  him  of  the  fairest  tracts  of  Spain.  He  found  that  the 
inhabitants  had  the  reputation  with  their  neighbors  of  de 
vouring  human  flesh ;  they  were  called  Oaniba  people,  an  epithet 
which,  after  the  necessary  modifications,  has  passed  into  all 
European  languages.  The  Caribs  were  the  nation  meant.  At 
this  point,  the  captain  of  the  Pinta  deserted  the  fleet,  in  order 
to  make  discoveries  on  his  own  account.  Soon  after,  the  Santa 
Maria  was  wrecked  upon  the  coast  of  Haiti,  and  Columbus, 
thinking  that  this  accident  was  intended  as  an  indication  of  the 
Divine  will  that  he  should  establish  a  colony  there,  built  a  fort  of 
live  timber,  in  which  he  placed  forty-two  men.  He  weighed 
anchor  in  the  Nina,  on  the  llth  of  January,  1493,  and  shortly 
after  fell  in  with  the  Pinta.  He  pretended  to  believe  and  accept 
the  falsehoods  and  contradictions  which  Pinzon  alleged  as  the 


150  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

reasons  for  his  abandonment  of  the  fleet.  The  two  vessels  now 
turned  their  heads  east,  Columbus  hoping  to  discover  a  cannibal 
island  on  his  way,  as  he  wished  to  carry  a  professor  of  the  dis 
gusting  practice  to  Spain. 

No  event  of  moment  happened  until  the  12th  of  February,  a 
month  afterwards,  when  a  terrible  storm  burst  over  the  hitherto 
tranquil  waters.  Its  violence  increased  to  such  a  degree  that 
nothing  remained  but  a  desperate  appeal  to  "Mary,  the  Mother 
of  God."  A  quantity  of  dried  peas,  equal  in  number  to  the 
number  of  men  on  board  the  Nina,  were  placed  in  a  sailor's 
woollen  cap,  one  of  them«being  marked  with  a  cross.  He  who 
should  draw  this  pea,  was  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  church 
of  Saint  Mary  at  Guadeloupe,  bearing  a  candle  weighing  five 
pounds,  in  case  the  ship  were  saved.  Columbus  was  the  first  to 
draw,  and  he  drew  the  marked  pea.  Other  vows  of  this  sort 
were  made,  and,  finally,  one  to  go  in  procession,  and  with  bare 
feet,  to  the  nearest  cathedral  of  whatever  land  they  should  first 
reach.  The  admiral,  fearing  that  his  discovery  would  perish 
with  him,  withdrew  to  his  cabin,  during  the  fiercest  period  of 
the  tumult,  and  wrote  upon  parchment  two  separate  and  concise 
narratives  of  his  discoveries.  He  enclosed  them  both  in  wax, 
and,  placing  one  in  an  empty  barrel,  threw  it  into  the  sea.  The 
other,  similarly  enclosed,  he  attached  to  the  poop  of  the  Nina, 
intending  to  cut  it  loose  at  the  moment  of  going  down.  Hap 
pily,  the  storm  subsided ;  and,  on  the  17th,  the  shattered  vessels 
arrived  at  the  southernmost  island  of  the  Azores,  belonging  to 
the  King  of  Portugal.  Here  half  the  crew  went  in  procession 
to  the  chapel,  to  discharge  their  vow ;  and,  while  Columbus  was 
waiting  to  go  with  the  other  half,  the  Portuguese  made  a  sally, 
surrounded  the  first  portion,  and  made  them  prisoners.  After  a 
useless  protest,  Columbus  departed  with  the  men  that  remained, 
having  with  him,  in  the  Nina,  but  three  able-bodied  seamen. 
Another  storm  now  threw  him  upon  the  coast  of  Portugal,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Tagus.  Here  he  narrowly  escaped  shipwreck 


RECEPTION    OF    COLUMBUS     BY    FERDINAND    AND     ISABELLA. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  151 

a  second  time,  but,  with  the  assistance  of  the  wonder-stricken 
inhabitants,  reached  in  safety  the  roads  of  Rostello.  The  king, 
though  jealous  of  the  maritime  renown  he  was  acquiring  for 
Spain,  received  him  with  distinction  and  dismissed  him  with 
presents.  Columbus  arrived,  in  the  Nina,  at  Palos  on  Friday, 
the  15th  of  March,  seven  months  and  twelve  days  after  his  de 
parture.  Alonzo  Pinzon  had  already  arrived  in  the  Pinta,  and, 
believing  Columbus  to  have  perished  in  the  storm,  had  written 
to  the  court,  narrating  the  discoveries  made  by  the  fleet,  and 
claiming  for  himself  the  merit  and  the  recompense. 

It  is  not  our  province  to  relate  the  history  of  the  career  of 
Columbus  upon  land,  nor  have  we  space  so  to  do.  We  can  only 
briefly  allude  to  his  discharge,  by  pilgrimages  to  holy  shrines, 
of  the  vows,  which,  three  times  out  of  four,  had,  by  lot,  devolved 
upon  him:  to  the  week  he  spent  with  Marchena,  and  in  the 
silence  of  the  cloister,  at  la  Rabida ;  to  the  princely  honors  he 
received  in  his  progress  to  Barcelona,  whither  the  court  had 
gone ;  to  his  reception  by  the  king  and  queen,  in  which  Ferdi 
nand  and  Isabella  rose  as  he  approached,  raised  him  as  he 
kneeled  to  kiss  their  hands,  and  ordered  him  to  be  seated  in 
their  presence. 

The  Spanish  sovereigns  soon  fitted  out  a  new  expedition ;  and, 
on  the  25th  of  September,  1493,  Columbus  left  the  port  of 
Cadiz  with  seventeen  vessels,  five  hundred  sailors,  soldiers, 
citizens  and  servants,  and  one  thousand  colonists,  three  hundred 
of  whom  had  smuggled  themselves  on  board.  He  sailed  directly 
for  the  Carib  or  Cannibal  Islands,  and  on  the  3d  of  November 
arrived  in  their  midst.  He  named  one  of  them  Maria-Galanta, 
from  his  flag-ship ;  another,  Guadeloupe,  from  one  of  the  shrines 
of  Spain  where  he  had  discharged  a  vow.  He  here  found 
numerous  and  disgusting  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  story 
that  these  people  lived  on  human  flesh.  The  island  which  he 
named  Montserrat,  in  honor  of  the  famous  sanctuary  of  that 
name,  had  been  depopulated  by  the  Caribs.  He  gave  to  the 


152  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

next  land  the  name  of  Santa  Maria  1'  Antigoa ;  it  is  now  known 
as  Antigoa,  simply.  Another  he  called  Santa  Cruz,  in  honor 
of  the  cross.  Returning  to  Hispaniola,  he  found  the  fort  de 
stroyed  and  the  garrison  massacred.  Having  founded  the  city 
of  Isabella  upon  another  part  of  the  island,  he  sent  back  twelve 
of  his  ships  to  Spain,  and  with  three  of  the  remaining  five,  one 
of  which  was  the  famous  Nina,  started  upon  a  voyage  of  dis 
covery  in  the  surrounding  waters.  He  touched  at  Alpha  and 
Omega,  and  inquired  of  the  savages  where  he  could  find  gold. 
They  pointed  to  the  south.  Two  days  afterwards,  Columbus 
descried  lofty  mountains,  with  blue  summits,  upon  an  island  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Jamaica,  in  honor  of  St.  James. 
Then  returning  to  Cuba,  and  following  the  southern  coast  a  dis 
tance  sufficient  to  convince  the  three  crews  that  it  was  a  conti 
nent  and  not  an  island,  he  took  possession  of  it  as  such.  He 
then  wished  to  revisit  the  Caribbean  Islands  and  destroy  the 
boats  of  the  inhabitants,  that  they  might  no  longer  prey  upon 
their  neighbors,  but  the  direction  of  the  winds  would  not  permit 
him  to  sail  to  the  west.  Returning  to  Isabella,  he  met  his 
brother  Bartholomew,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Spain,  bearing 
a  letter  from  the  queen.  He  also  found,  to  his  extreme  regret, 
that  the  officers  he  had  left  in  charge  of  the  colony  had  tran 
scended  their  authority  and  had  abandoned  their  duties.  Mar- 
garit,  the  commander,  and  Boil,  the  vicar,  had  departed  in  the 
ship  that  had  brought  Bartholomew.  Overcome  by  the  toils  and 
privations  he  had  undergone,  and  sick  at  heart  at  the  sight  of 
the  disasters  under  which  the  colony  was  laboring,  he  fell  into  a 
deep  lethargy,  and  for  a  long  time  it  was  doubtful  whether  he 
would  ever  awake  again. 

He  did  awake,  however,  but  only  to  a  poignant  consciousness 
of  the  miseries  the  Spanish  invasion  had  brought  upon  the  island. 
The  Spaniards  and  Indians  had  become,  through  the  treachery 
of  the  former,  hostile  during  his  absence,  and  battles,  surprises, 
and  murders  were  of  daily  occurrence.  Seeing  the  necessity  of 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  153 

a  vigorous  effort  in  order  to  maintain  his  authority  over  the 
natives,  he  led  his  two  hundred  and  twenty  men  against  a  furi 
ous  throng  of  naked,  painted  savages,  whose  numbers  were  de 
clared  by  the  Spaniards  to  be  no  less  than  one  hundred  thousand. 
The  Indians  were  defeated  with  great  slaughter,  and  were 
subjected  to  the  payment  of  tribute  and  to  the  indignity  of 
taxation.  At  this  period,  an  officer,  named  Juan  Aguado,  sent 
out  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  upon  the  malicious  representa 
tions  of  Margarit  and  Father  Boil,  to  inquire  into  the  state  of 
the  colony  and  the  conduct  of  Columbus,  arrived  in  the  island. 
Columbus  determined  to  return  himself  to  Spain,  to  present  in 
person  a  justification  of  his  course.  A  violent  storm  having  de 
stroyed  all  the  vessels  except  the  Nina,  Columbus  took  the  com 
mand  of  her,  Aguado  building  a  caravel  for  himself  from  the 
wrecks  of  the  others.  They  both  left  Isabella  on  the  10th  of 
March,  1496,  taking  with  them  the  sick  and  disappointed,  to 
the  number  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five,  and  thirty-two  In 
dians,  whom  they  forced  to  accompany  them.  They  touched  at 
Guadeloupe  for  wood  and  water,  and,  after  repulsing  an  attack 
of  Caribs,  contrived  to  gain  their  confidence,  and  to  obtain  the 
articles  of  which  they  stood  in  need.  They  left  again  on  the 
20th  of  April.  After  a  long  and  painful  voyage,  in  the  course 
of  which  it  was  proposed  to  throw  the  Indians  overboard  in 
order  to  lessen  the  consumption  of  food,  they  arrived,  without 
material  damage,  at  the  port  of  Cadiz.  Columbus  wrote  to  the 
king  and  queen,  and  during  the  month  that  elapsed  before  their 
answer  was  received,  allowed  his  beard  to  grow,  and,  disgusted 
with  the  world,  assumed  the  garments  and  the  badges  of  a  Fran 
ciscan  friar.  He  was  soon  summoned  to  Burgos,  then  the  resi 
dence  of  the  court,  where  Isabella,  forgetting  the  calumnies  of 
which  he  had  been  the  object  and  the  accusations  his  enemies 
had  heaped  upon  him,  loaded  him  with  favors  and  kindness. 

Numerous  circumstances  prevented  Columbus  from  requesting 
the  immediate  equipment  of  another  expedition.     It  was  not 


154  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

till  the  30th  of  May,  1498,  that  he  sailed  again  for  his  dis 
coveries  in  the  West.  He  left  San  Lucar  with  six  caravels,  three 
laden  with  supplies  and  reinforcements  for  the  colony  at  Isabella, 
and  three  intended  to  accompany  himself  upon  a  search  for  the 
mainland,  which  he  believed  to  exist  west  of  Hispaniola;  Cuba, 
and  Jamaica.  On  the  15th  of  July,  in  the  latitude  of  Sierra 
Leone,  they  came  into  the  region  of  calms,  where  the  water 
seemed  like  molten  silver  beneath  a  tropical  sun.  Not  a  breath 
of  air  stirred,  not  a  cloud  intercepted  the  fiery  rays  which  fell 
vertically  upon  them  from  the  skies.  The  provisions  decayed  in 
the  hold,  the  pitch  and* tar  boiled  upon  the  ropes.  The  barrels 
of  wine  and  water  opened  in  wide  seams,  and  scattered  their 
precious  contents  to  waste.  The  grains  of  wheat  were  wrinkled 
and  shrivelled  as  if  roasting  before  the  fire.  For  eight  days  this 
incandescence  lasted,  till  an  east  wind  sprang  up  and  wafted 
them  to  a  more  temperate  spot  in  the  torrid  zone. 

On  the  31st  of  July  land  was  discovered  in  the  west, — three 
mountain  peaks  seeming  to  ascend  from  one  and  the  same  base. 
Columbus  had  made  a  vow  to  give  the  name  of  the  Trinity  to 
the  first  land  he  should  discover,  and  this  singular  triune  form 
of  the  land  now  before  them  was  noticed  as  a  wonderful  coinci 
dence  by  all  on  board.  It  was  named,  therefore,  Trinidad ;  it 
lies  off  the  northern  coast  of  Venezuela,  in  the  Continent  of 
South  America.  The  innumerable  islands,  formed  by  the  forty 
mouths  of  the  Orinoco,  were  next  discovered,  and  shortly  after 
wards  the  continent  to  the  north,  which  Columbus  judged  to  be 
the  mainland  from  the  volume  of  water  brought  to  the  sea  by 
the  Orinoco.  Columbus  was  not  the  first  to  set  foot  upon  the 
New  World  he  had  discovered :  being  confined  to  his  cabin  by 
an  attack  of  ophthalmia,  he  sent  Pedro  de  Terreros  to  take 
possession  in  his  stead.  This  discovery  of  the  Southern  portion 
of  the  Western  Continent  was,  however,  as  we  shall  soon  have 
occasion  to  show,  subsequent  to  that  of  the  Northern  portion  by 
John  Cabot,  who  visited  Labrador  in  1497. 


MAN  UPON   THE    SEA.  155 

The  fleet  was  unable  to  remain  in  these  seductive  regions, 
owing  to  the  scarcity  of  provisions  and  the  increasing  blindness 
of  the  admiral.  He  would  have  been  glad  to  stay  in  a  spot 
which,  in  his  letter  to  his  sovereigns,  he  describes  as  the  Terres 
trial  Paradise,  the  Orinoco  being  one  of  the  four  streams  flowing 
from  it,  as  described  in  the  Bible.  The  fact  that  this  river 
throws  from  its  forty  issues  fresh  water  enough  to  overcome  the 
saltness  of  the  sea  to  a  great  distance  from  the  shore,  was  one 
of  the  circumstances  which  gave  to  this  portion  of  the  world  the 
somewhat  marvellous  and  fantastic  character  with  which  the 
imagination  of  Columbus  invested  it.  He  sailed  at  once  from 
the  continent  to  Hispaniola,  discovering  and  naming  the  islands 
of  Assumption  and  la  Margarita.  At  Hispaniola  he  again  found 
famine,  distress,  rebellion,  and  panic  on  every  side.  Malversa 
tion  and  mutiny  had  brought  the  colony  to  the  very  verge  of 
ruin.  ' 

We  have  not  space  to  detail  the  manoeuvres  and  machinations 
by  which  the  mind  of  Ferdinand  was  prejudiced  towards  Co 
lumbus,  and,  in  consequence  of  which,  Francesco  Bobadilla  was 
sent  by  him  in  July,  1500,  to  investigate  the  charges  brought 
against  the  admiral.  Arrogant  in  his  newly  acquired  honors, 
Bobadilla  took  the  part  of  the  malcontents,  and,  placing  Colum 
bus  in  chains,  sent  him  back  to  Spain.  He  arrived  at  Cadiz  on 
the  20th  of  November,  after  the  most  rapid  passage  yet  made 
across  the  ocean.  The  general  burst  of  indignation  at  the 
shocking  spectacle  of  Columbus  in  fetters,  compelled  Ferdinand 
to  disclaim  all  knowledge  of  the  transaction.  Isabella  accorded 
him  a  private  audience,  in  which  she  shed  tears  at  the  sufferings 
and  indignities  he  had  undergone.  The  king  kept  him  waiting 
nine  months,  wasting  his  time  in  fruitless  applications  for  re 
dress,  and  finally  appointed  Nicholas  Ovando  Governor  of  His 
paniola  in  his  place. 


COLUMBUS    IN     CHAINS    AT    CADIZ. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  FAILING  HEALTH  OF  COLUMBUS — HIS  FOURTH  VOYAGE — MARTINIQUE,  PORTO 
RICCO,  NICARAGUA,  COSTA  RICCA,  PANAMA — HIS  SEARCH  FOR  A  CHANNEL 
ACROSS  THE  ISTHMUS — HE  PREDICTS  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  THE  MOON  AT  JAMAICA 

— HIS    RETURN — THE  DEATH    OF   ISABELLA COLUMBUS    PENNILESS    AT    VALLA- 

DOLID HIS      DEATH HIS     FOUR      BURIALS THE      INJUSTICE     OF     THE     WORLD 

TOWARDS     COLUMBUS CHRISTOPHER     PIGEON — AMERIGO    VESPUCCI — THE    NEW 

WORLD  NAMED  AMERICA — ERRORS  OF  MODERN  HISTORIANS — THE  DISTRICT 
OF  COLUMBIA — JOHN  CABOT  IN  LABRADOR — SEBASTIAN  CABOT  IN  HUDSON'S 
BAT — VINCENT  YANEZ  PINZON  AT  THE  MOUTHS  OF  THE  AMAZON. 

COLUMBUS  was  now  advanced  in  years,  and  his  sufferings  and 
labors   had   dimmed   his  eyesight  and  bowed   his  frame ;   but 

his  mind  was  yet  active,  and  his  enthusiasm  in  the  cause  of  dis- 
156 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  157 

covery  irrepressible.  He  had  convinced  himself,  and  now  sought 
to  convince  the  queen,  that  to  the  westward  of  the  regions  he 
l^ad  visited  the  land  converged,  leaving  a  narrow  passage 
through  which  he  hoped  to  pass,  and  proceed  to  the  Indies  be 
yond.  This  convergence  of  the  land  did  in  reality  exist,  but  the 
strait  of  water  he  expected  to  find  was,  and  is,  a  strait  of  land 
— the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  However,  the  queen  approved  of 
the  plan,  and  gave  him  four  ships,  equipped  and  victualled  for 
two  years.  Columbus  had  conceived  the  immense  idea  of  passing 
through  the  strait,  and  returning  by  Asia  and  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  thus  circumnavigating  the  globe  and  proving  its  spherical 
form.  He  departed  from  Cadiz  on  the  8th  of  May,  1502. 

He  touched  at,  and  named,  Martinique  early  in  June,  and  after 
wards  at  St.  Jean,  now  Porto  Ricco.  Ovando  refused  his  request 
to  land  at  Isabella  to  repair  his  vessel  and  exchange  one  of  them 
for  a  faster  sailer.  Escaping  a  terrible  storm,  which  wrecked 
and  utterly  destroyed  the  splendid  fleet  in  which  the  rapacious 
pillagers  of  the  island  had  embarked  their  ill-gotten  wealth,  he 
was  driven  by  the  winds  to  Jamaica,  and  thence  by  the  currents 
to  Cuba.  Here  a  strong  north  wind  enabled  him  to  sail  south 
southwest,  towards  the  latitude  where  he  expected  to  find  the 
strait.  He  touched  the  mainland  of  North  America  at  Trux- 
illo,  in  Honduras,  and  coasted  thence  southward  along  the 
Mosquito  shore,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Ricca,  and  Panama.  Here  he 
explored  every  sinuosity  and  indentation  of  the  shore,  seeking 
at  the  very  spot  where  civilization  and  commerce  now  require 
a  canal,  a  passage  which  he  considered  as  demanded  by  Nature 
and  accorded  by  Providence.  He  followed  the  isthmus  as  far  as 
the  Gulf  of  Darien,  and  then,  driven  by  a  furious  tropical  tem 
pest,  returned  as  far  as  Veragua,  in  search  of  rich  gold  mines 
of  which  he  had  heard.  The  storm  lasted  for  eight  days,  con 
cluding  with  a  terrible  display  of  water-spouts,  which  Columbus 
is  said  to  have  regarded  as  a  work  of  the  devil,  and  to  have 
dispelled  by  bringing  forth  the  Bible  and  exorcising  the  demon. 


158 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


One  of  the  water-spouts  passed  between  the  ships  without  in 
juring  them,  and  spun  away,  muttering  and  terrible,  to  spend 
its  fury  elsewhere.  , 


On  reaching  Veragua,  Columbus  sent  his  brother  up  a  river, 
which  he  called  Bethlehem,  or  by  contraction  Belem,  to  seek  for 
gold.  His  researches  seeming  to  indicate  the  presence  of  the 
precious  metal,  Columbus  determined  to  establish  a  colony  upon 
the  river,  an  attempt  which  was  defeated  by  the  hostility  of  the 
natives.  Their  fierce  resistance  and  the  crazy  state  of  his 
vessels  forced  Columbus,  in  April,  1503,  to  make  the  best  of 
his  way  to  Hispaniola  with  two  crowded  vessels,  which,  being 
totally  unseaworthy,  he  was  obliged  to  run  ashore  at  Jamaica, 
There  Columbus  awed  the  natives  and  subdued  them  to  obedience 
and  submission,  by  predicting  an  eclipse  of  the  moon. 

Thus  left  without  a  single  vessel,  he  had  no  resource  but  to 
send  to  Hispaniola  for  assistance.  After  a  period  of  fifteen 
months,  lost  in  quelling  mutinies  and  in  opposing  the  cruelties 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  159 

and  exactions  of  the  new  masters  of  the  island,  he  obtained  a 
caravel,  and  again  sailed  for  Spain  on  the  12th  of  September, 
1504.  During  the  passage,  he  was  compelled,  by  a  severe  attack 
of  rheumatism,  to  remain  confined  to  his  cabin.  His  tempest- 
tossed  and  shattered  bark  at  last  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
San  Lucar.  He  proceeded  to  Seville,  where  he  heard,  with  dis 
may,  of  the  illness,  and  then  of  the  death,  of  his  patroness 
Isabella.  Sickness  now  detained  him  at  Seville  till  the  spring 
of  1505,  when  he  arrived,  exhausted  and  paralytic,  before  the 
king.  Here  he  underwent  another  courtly  denial  of  redress. 
He  was  now  without  shelter  and  without  hope.  He  was  com 
pelled  to  borrow  money  with  which  to  pay  for  a  shabby  room 
at  a  miserable  inn.  He  lingered  for  a  year  in  poverty  and 
neglect,  and  died  at  last  in  Valladolid,  on  the  20th  of  May, 
1506.  The  revolting  ingratitude  of  Ferdinand  of  Spain  thus 
caused  the  death,  in  rags,  in  destitution,  and  in  infirmity,  of 
the  greatest  man  that  has  ever  served  the  cause  of  progress  or 
labored  in  the  paths  of  science.  Had  we  written  the  life  of 
Columbus,  and  not  thus  briefly  sketched  the  history  of  his 
voyages,  we  should  have  found  it  easy  to  assert  and  maintain 
his  claim  to  this  commanding  position. 

The  agitation  of  the  life  of  Columbus  followed  his  remains  to 
the  grave, — for  he  was  buried  four  successive  times,  and  his 
dead  body  made  the  passage  of  the  Atlantic.  It  was  first  de 
posited  in  the  vaults  of  the  Franciscan  Convent  of  Valladolid, 
where  it  remained  seven  years.  In  1513,  Ferdinand,  now  old 
and  perhaps  repentant,  caused  the  coffin  to  be  brought  from 
Valladolid  to  Seville,  where  a  solemn  service  was  said  over  it 
in  the  grand  cathedral.  It  was  then  placed  in  the  chapel  be 
longing  to  the  Chartreux.  In  1536,  the  coffin  was  transported 
to  the  city  of  St.  Domingo,  in  the  island  of  Hispaniola.  Here 
it  remained  for  two  hundred  and  sixty  years.  In  1795,  Spain 
ceded  the  island  to  France,  stipulating  that  the  ashes  of  Colum 
bus  should  be  transferred  to  Spanish  soil.  In  December  of  the 


160  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

same  year,  the  vault  was  opened,  and  the  fragments  -which  were 
found — those  of  a  leaden  coffin,  mingled  with  bones  and  dust 
returned  to  dust — were  carefully  collected.  They  were  carried 
on  board  the  brigantine  Discovery,  which  transported  them  to 
the  frigate  San  Lorenzo,  by  which  they  were  taken  to  Havana, 
where,  in  the  presence  of  the  Governor-General  of  Cuba  and 
in  the  midst  of  imposing  ceremonies,  they  were  consigned  to 
their  fourth  and  final  resting-place. 

It  will  not  be  altogether  out  of  place  to  group  together  here 
the  numerous  and  remarkable  instances  of  the  world's  injustice 
and  ingratitude  towards  Columbus.  We  have  said  that  he  died 
in  penury  at  Valladolid.  A  publication,  issued  periodically  in 
that  city  from  1333  to  1539,  chronicling  every  event  of  local 
interest — births,  marriages,  deaths,  fires,  executions,  appoint 
ments,  church  ceremonies — did  not  mention,  or  in  any  way  al 
lude  to,  the  death  of  Columbus.  Pierre  Martyr,  a  poet  of 
Lombardy,  once  his  intimate  friend,  and  who  had  said,  at  the 
time  of  his  first  voyage,  that  by  singing  of  his  discoveries  he 
would  descend  to  immortality  with  him,  seemed  to  think,  later 
in  life,  that  he  should  peril  his  chances  of  immortality  were  he 
to  sing  of  his  death,  for  his  muse  held  her  peace.  In  1507,  a 
collection  of  voyages  was  published  by  Fracanzo  de  Montalbodo, 
in  which  no  mention  was  made  of  Columbus'  fourth  voyage,  and 
in  which  Columbus  himself  was  alluded  to  as  still  alive.  In 
1508,  a  Latin  translation  of  this  work  was  published,  in  the 
preface  to  which  Columbus  was  mentioned  as  still  living  in 
honor  at  the  court  of  Spain.  Another  famous  work  of  the 
time  attributes  the  discovery  of  the  New  World,  not  to  the 
calculations  and  science  of  a  man,  but  to  the  accidental  wander 
ings  of  a  tempest-driven  caravel.  Not  ten  years  after  the  death 
of  Columbus,  the  chaplain  of  one  of  the  kings  of  Italy,  in  a 
work  upon  "Memorable  Events  in  Spain,"  stated  that  a  New 
World  had  been  discovered  in  the  West  by  one  PETER  COLUM 
BUS.  And,  in  the  same  taste  and  spirit,  a  German  doctor,  in 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  161 

the  first  German  book  which  spoke  of  the  New  World,  did  not 
once  mention  the  name  of  Columbus,  but,  translating  the  proper 
name  as  if  it  were  a  common  noun,,  calls  him  Christoffel  Daw- 
ber,  which,  being  translated  back  again,  signifies  CHRISTOPHER 
PIGEON. 

We  shall  now  speak  of  that  signal  instance  of  public  in 
gratitude  and  national  forgetfulness  which  is  universally  re 
gretted,  yet  will  never  be  repaired, — the  giving  to  the  New 
World  the  name  of  America  and  not  that  of  Columbia, — a  sub 
stitution  due  to  an  obscure  and  ignorant  French  publisher  of  St. 
Die,  in  Lorraine. 

Amerigo  Vespucci,  born  at  Florence  fifteen  years  after  Co 
lumbus,  and  the  third  son  of  a  notary,  appears  to  have  been 
led  by  mercantile  tastes  to  Spain  in  1486,  where  he  became  a 
factor  in  a  wealthy  house  at  Seville.  He  abandoned  the  counter, 
however,  for  navigation  and  mathematics,  and  took  to  the  sea 
for  a  livelihood.  He  was  at  first  a  practical  astronomer,  and 
finally  a  pilot-major.  He  went  four  times  on  expeditions  to 
the  New  World,  in  1499,  1500,  1501,  1502.  During  the  first, 
he  coasted  along  the  land  at  the  mouths  of  the  Orinoco,  which 
had  been  discovered  by  Columbus  the  preceding  year.  Even 
had  he  been  the  first  to  discover  the  mainland, — which  he  was 
not, — there  would  have  been  no  merit  in  it,  for  he  was  merely  a 
subordinate  officer  on  board  a  ship  following  in  the  track  of  Co 
lumbus,  seven  years  after  the  latter  had  traced  it  upon  the  ocean 
and  the  charts  of  the  marine.  He  published  an  account  of  his 
voyage.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  claimed  honor  as 
the  first  discoverer,  and  the  friendly  relations  he  maintained 
with  the  family  of  Columbus  after  the  death  of  the  latter  show 
that  they  did  not  consider  him  as  attempting  to  obtain  a  dis 
tinction  which  did  not  belong  to  him.  The  error  flowed  from 
another  and  more  distant  source. 

Columbus  had  died  in  1506,  and  had  been  forgotten.      In 

1 507,  a  Frenchman  of  St.  Die*  republished  Vespucci's  narrative, 

11 


162  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

substituting  the  date  of  1497  for  that  of  1499, — thus  making  it 
appear  that  Vespucci  had  preceded,  instead  of  followed,  Co 
lumbus  in  his  discovery  of  the  mainland.  He  did  not  once  men 
tion  Columbus,  and  attributed  the  whole  merit  of  the  western 
voyages  to  Vespucci.  He  added  that  he  did  not  see  why  from 
the  name  of  Amerigo  an  appellation  could  not  be  derived  for 
the  continent  he  had  discovered,  and  proposed  that  of  America, 
as  having  a  feminine  termination  like  that  of  Europa,  Asia,  and 
Africa,  and  as  possessing  a  musical  sound  likely  to  catch  the 
public  ear.  This  work  was  dedicated  to  the  Emperor  Maxi 
milian,  and  passed  rapidly  through  editions  in  various  lan 
guages. 

Thus  far  no  specific  name  had  been  given  to  the  con 
tinent.  Its  situation  was  sometimes  indicated  upon  maps  by 
a  cross,  and  sometimes  by  the  words  TERRA  SANCT,E  CRUCIS, 
SIVE  MUNDUS  Novus,  often  printed  in  red  capitals.  In  1522, 
for  the  first  time,  the  name  of  America,  under  its  French  form 
of  Amerique,  was  printed  upon  a  map  at  Lyons.  Germany  fol 
lowed,  and  the  presses  of  Basle  and  Zurich  aided  the  usurpa 
tion.  Florence  was  but  too  eager  to  accept  a  name  which  flat 
tered  her  vanity;  and,  as  Genoa  did  not  protest  in  the  name 
of  Columbus,  Italy  yielded  to  the  current,  and  did  a  large  share 
in  the  labor  of  injustice.  In  1570,  the  name  of  America  was 
for  the  first  time  engraved  upon  a  metal  globe,  and  from  this 
time  forward  the  spoliation  may  be  regarded  as  accomplished. 
Columbus  had  been  twice  buried  and  twice  forgotten ;  and  now 
his  very  name  was  lost, — the  continent  he  had  found  having 
been  baptized  in  honor  of  another,  and  his  race  in  the  male  line 
being  extinct, — for  Diego  and  Fernando  had  died  without  heirs. 

In  modern  times,  in  our  own  day  even,  it  has  been  a  common 
practice  to  depreciate  the  services  of  Columbus,  and  eminent 
writers  have  thought  it  no  disgrace  to  profess  and  testify  igno 
rance  of  his  history  and  life.  Raynal,  a  French  philosopher 
of  distinction,  declared,  about  the  year  1760,  that  the  passage 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  163 

of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  by  Vasco  da  Gama  was  a  greater 
achievement  than  the  crossing  of  the  Atlantic  by  Columbus. 
He  offered  a  prize  for  disquisitions  upon  the  question,  "Has 
the  discovery  of  America  been  useful  or  prejudicial  to  the 
human  race  ?"  Buffon  seems,  too,  to  have  considered  the  dis 
coveries  of  the  Portuguese  in  the  East  as  more  important  than 
those  of  Columbus  in  the  West.  Robertson,  in  his  History  of 
America,  says  that  even  without  Columbus  some  happy  acci 
dent  would  have  discovered  the  New  World  a  few  years  later. 
Fontenelle,  and  many  others,  attribute  the  first  notice  of  the 
variation  of  the  compass  to  Cabot  in  1497,  though  Columbus 
distinctly  mentions  noticing  it  in  his  journal  on  the  13th  of 
September,  1492.  A  late  Spanish  historian  writes: — "Co 
lumbus  made  nothing  but  discoveries  in  these  regions  ;  con 
quest  was  reserved  for  Cortez  and  Pizarro."  Lamartine  makes 
an  error  of  fifteen  years  in  stating  the  period  of  the  return  of 
Columbus  to  Spain.  Dumas  asserts  that  Columbus  passed  "a 
portion  of  his  life  in  prison," — an  expression  he  would  not  pro 
bably  have  used,  knowingly,  to  designate  a  period  of  three 
months.  Granier  de  Cassagnac  places  the  last  voyage  of  Co 
lumbus  in  1493,  instead  of  1502.  St.  Hilaire  makes  the  cele 
brated  Las  Casas  cross  the.  sea  with  Columbus  nine  years  too 
soon.  These  mis-statements,  though  not  resulting  in  distortion 
or  misrepresentation  of  character,  are  the  effects  of  that  indif 
ference  which  for  centuries  history  has  manifested  towards  the 
life,  services,  and  death  of  Columbus. 

Columbia  is  the  poetic  and  symbolical  name  of  America, 
occurring  in  the  National  Anthem  and  in  numerous  effusions 
of  patriotic  verse.  An  effort  to  avenge  the  memory  of  the  dis 
coverer  was  made  by  giving  his  name,  officially,  to  a  tract  bor 
rowed  from  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  measuring  one  hundred 
miles  square, — the  seat  of  the  American  Government.  So  far 
from  this  tardy  acknowledgment  being  a  reparation,  however, 
it  is  probable  that  the  spirit  of  the  departed  benefactor,  if  sum- 


164  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

moned  to  speak,  would  declare  it  the  last,  and  by  no  means  the 
least,  of  the  long  line  of  insults  that  an  ungrateful  posterity 
had  heaped  upon  his  memory. 

It  will  be  proper  to  add  to  this  view  of  the  voyages  of  Co 
lumbus  a  brief  account  of  those  effected  immediately  afterwards 
by  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  and  by  Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon. 

In  the  year  1496,  Henry  VII.  of  England,  stimulated  by  the 
success  of  Columbus,  granted  a  patent  to  one  Giovanni  Gabotto, 
a  Venetian  dwelling  in  Bristol,  to  go  in  search  of  unknown  lands. 
Little  is  known  of  this  person,  whose  name  has  been  Anglicized 
into  John  Cabot,  except  that  he  was  a  wealthy  and  intelligent 
merchant  and  fond  of  maritime  discovery.  He  had  three  sons, 
one  of  whom,  named  Sebastian,  was  nineteen  years  old  at  the 
time  of  the  voyage,  upon  which,  with  his  brothers,  he  accom 
panied  his  father.  They  sailed  in  a  ship  named  the  Matthew, 
and  on  the  24th  of  June,  1497,  discovered  the  mainland  of 
America,  eighteen  months  before  Columbus  set  foot  upon  it  at 
the  mouths  of  the  Orinoco.  For  a  long  time  it  was  supposed 
that  Cabot  had  landed  upon  Newfoundland,  but  it  is  now  con 
sidered  settled  that  Labrador  was  the  portion  of  the  continent 
first  discovered  by  a  European.  No  account  of  the  further 
prosecution  of  the  voyage  has  reached  us,  and  the  only  official 
record  of  Cabot's  return  is  an  entry  in  the  privy-purse  expenses 
of  Henry,  10th  August,  1497 :— "  To  hym  that  found  the  New 
Isle,  10Z."  Thus,  fifty  days  had  not  elapsed  between  the  dis 
covery  and  its  recompense  in  England, — a  fact  which  shows 
that  Cabot  returned  home  at  once.  He  is  supposed  to  have 
died  about  the  year  1499. 

Sebastian  Cabot,  the  second  son,  who  is  regarded  as  by  far 
the  most  scientific  navigator  of  this  family  of  seamen,  appears 
to  have  lived  in  complete  obscurity  during  the  following  twelve 
years.  Disgusted,  however,  by  the  want  of  consideration  of  the 
English  authorities  towards  him,  he  accepted  an  invitation  from 
King  Ferdinand  to  visit  Spain  in  1512.  Here,  for  several 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  165 

years,  he  was  employed  in  revising  maps  and  charts,  and,  with 
the  title  of  Captain  and  a  liberal  salary,  held  the  honorable 
position  of  Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Indies.  The  death 
of  Ferdinand  and  the  intrigues  of  the  enemies  of  Columbus 
induced  him  to  return  to  England  in  1517.  He  was  employed 
by  Henry  VIII.,  in  connection  with  one  Sir  Thomas  Perte,  to 
make  an  attempt  at  a  Northwest  passage.  On  this  voyage  he  is 
said  to  have  gained  Hudson's  Bay,  and  to  have  given  English 
names  to  sundry  places  there.  So  few  details  of  the  expedition 
have  been  preserved,  that  the  latitude  reached  (67J  degrees)  is 
referred  by  different  authorities  both  to  the  north  and  the  south. 
The  malice  or  cowardice  of  Sir  Thomas  Perte  compelled  Cabot 
to  return  without  accomplishing  any  thing  worthy  of  being  re 
corded.  It  was  often  said  afterwards,  that  if  the  New  World 
could  not  be  called  Columbia,  it  would  be  better  to  name  it 
Cabotiana  than  America. 

Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon,  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers 
who  had  accompanied  Columbus  upon  his  first  voyage,  deter 
mined,  upon  hearing,  in  1499,  that  the  continent  was  discovered, 
on  trying  his  fortunes  at  the  head  of  an  expedition,  instead  of  in 
a  subordinate  position.  He  found  no  difficulty  in  equipping  four 
caravels,  and  in  inducing  several  of  those  who  had  seen  the 
coast  of  Paria  to  embark  with  him  as  pilots.  He  sailed  from 
Palos  in  December,  1499,  and  proceeded  directly  to  the  south 
west.  During  a  storm  which  obscured  the  heavens  he  crossed 
the  equator,  and  on  the  disappearance  of  the  clouds  no  longer 
recognised  the  constellations,  changed  as  they  were  from  those 
of  the  Northern  to  those  of  the  Southern  hemisphere.  Pinzon 
was  thus  the  first  European  who  crossed  the  line  in  the  Atlantic. 
The  sailors,  unacquainted  with  the  Southern  sky,  and  dismayed 
at  the  absence  of  the  polar  star,  were  for  a  time  filled  with 
superstitious  terrors.  Pinzon,  however,  persisted,  and,  on  the 
20th  of  January,  1500,  discovered  land  in  eight  degrees  of 
south  latitude.  He  took  possession  for  the  Crown  of  Spain, 


166  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

and  named  it  Santa  Maria  de  la  Consola9ion.  We  shall  soon 
have  occasion  to  mention  why  this  name  was  superseded  by  that 
of  Brazil. 

Pinzon  explored  with  amazement  the  huge  mouths  of  the 
Amazon,  whose  immense  torrents,  as  they  emptied  into  the  sea, 
freshened  its  waters  for  many  leagues  from  the  land.  Sailing 
to  the  north,  he  followed  the  coast  for  four  hundred  leagues, 
and  then  returned  to  Palos,  carrying  with  him  three  thousand 
pounds'  weight  of  dye-woods  and  the  first  opossum  ever  seen  in 
Europe. 

And  now,  having  closed  the  fifteenth  century  with  the 
achievements  of  the  Spanish  in  the  West,  we  open  the  six 
teenth  with  those  of  the  Portuguese  in  the  East. 


VASCO     DA     GAMA. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PORTUGUESE     NAVIGATION     UNDER     EMMANUEL POPULAR     PREJUDICES THE    LU- 

SIAD    OF     CAMOENS VASCO     DA     GAMA MAPS     OF     AFRICA    OF     THE     PERIOD 

PREPARATIONS    FOR     AN     INDIAN    VOYAGE — RELIGIOUS     CEREMONIES THE     DE 
PARTURE RENDEZVOUS     AT    THE    CAPE    VERDS LANDING    UPON    THE    COAST 

THE    NATIVES AN    INVITATION   TO    DINNER,    AND   ITS   CONSEQUENCES — A  STORM 

MUTINY THE    SPECTRE    OF    THE    CAPE. 

IN  the  year  1495,  John  II.  of  Portugal  was  succeeded  by  his 
cousin,  Emmanuel,  into  whose  mind  he  had  a  short  time  before 
his  death  instilled  a  portion  of  his  own  zeal  for  maritime  dis 
covery  and  commercial  supremacy.  He  had  especially  dwelt 
upon  the  necessity  of  continuing  the  progress  of  African  re 
search  beyond  the  point  which  Bartholomew  Diaz  had  lately 
reached,  into  the  regions  where  lay  the  East  Indies  with  their 
wealth  and  marvellous  productions,  and  thus  substituting  for  the 

tedious  land-route  a  more  expeditious  track  by  sea.     Upon  his 

167 


168  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

accession,  Emmanuel  found  that  a  strong  opposition  existed  to  the 
extension  of  Portuguese  commerce  and  discovery.  Arguments 
were  urged  against  it  in  his  own  councils,  and  had  a  marked 
effect  upon  the  public  mind  by  heightening  the  danger  of  the 
intended  voyage. 

In  our  narrative  of  the  first  East  Indian  expedition,  we  shall 
often  have  occasion  to  quote  from  a  poem  written  in  commemo 
ration  of  it, — the  Lusiad  of  Camoens,  a  semi-religious  epic  and  the 
masterpiece  of  Portuguese  literature, — Lusiade  being  the  poetic 
and  symbolical  name  of  Portugal.  Camoens  describes  at  the 
outset  the  hostility  of  the  nation  to  further  maritime  adventure, 
and  places  in  the  mouth  of  a  reverend  adviser  of  the  king  the 
following  forcible  appeal: 

"Oh,  frantic  thirst  of  Honor  and  of  Fame, 
The  crowd's  blind  tribute,  a  fallacious  name ; 
What  stings,  what  plagues,  what  secret  scourges  cursed, 
Torment  those  bosoms  where  thy  pride  is  nursed ! 
What  dangers  threaten  and  what  deaths  destroy 
The  hapless  youth  whom  thy  vain  gleams  decoy ! 
Thou  dazzling  meteor,  vain  as  fleeting  air, 
What  new  dread  horror  dost  thou  now  prepare  ? 
Oh,  madness  of  Ambition !  thus  to  dare 
Dangers  so  fruitless,  so  remote  a  war ! 
That  Fame's  vain  flattery  may  thy  name  adorn, 
And  thy  proud  titles  on  her  flag  be  borne : 
Thee,  Lord  of  Persia,  thee  of  India  lord, 
O'er  Ethiopia  vast,  and  Araby  adored !" 

Never  was  any  expedition,  whether  by  land  or  water,  so  un 
popular  as  this  of  King  Emmanuel.  The  murmurs  of  the 
cabinet  were  re-echoed  by  the  populace,  who  were  wrought  upon 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  believed  the  natural  consequence  of 
an  invasion  of  the  Indian  seas  would  be  the  arrival  in  the  Tagus 
of  the  wroth  and  avenging  Sultan  of  Egypt.  But  Emmanuel, 
who,  we  are  told,  "regarded  Diffidence  as  the  mark  of  a  low 
and  grovelling  mind,  and  Hope  the  quality  of  a  noble  and 
aspiring  soul,"  discerned  prospects  of  national  advantage  in  the 
scheme,  and  determined  to  pursue  it  to  a  prosperous  issue. 


MAX    UPON   THE    SEA.  169 

King  John,  before  his  death,  and  shortly  after  the  return  of 
Diaz,  had  ordered  timber  to  be  purchased  for  the  construction 
of  ships  fit  to  cope  with  the  storms  of  the  redoubtable  Cape. 
Emmanuel  now  sought  a  capable  commander,  and,  after  much 
deliberation,  fixed  upon  a  gentleman  of  his  own  household, 
Vasco  da  Grama  by  name,  a  native  of  the  seaport  of  Sines,  and 
already  favorably  known  for  enterprise  and  naval  skill.  We 
are  told  that  "  he  was  formed  for  the  service  to  which  he  was 
called, — violent  indeed  in  his  temper,  terrible  in  anger,  and 
sudden  in  the  execution  of  justice,  but  at  the  same  time  intrepid, 
persevering,  patient  in  difficulties,  fertile  in  expedients,  and 
superior  to  all  discouragement.  He  devoted  himself  to  death  if 
he  should  not  succeed,  and  this  from  a  sense  of  religion  and 
loyalty."  When  the  king  acquainted  him  with  the  mission 
intrusted  to  his  charge,  Vasco  replied  that  he  had  long  aspired  to 
the  honor  of  conducting  such  an  undertaking.  Camoens  makes 
da  Gama  thus  describe  his  acceptance  of  the  honor : 

"'Let  skies  on  fire, 

Let  frozen  seas,  let  horrid  war,  conspire  : 
I  dare  them  all,'  I  cried,  'and  but  repine 
That  one  poor  life  is  all  I  can  resign.'  " 

The  most  distinguished  members  of  the  Portuguese  nobility 
were  present  at  this  interview.  The  king  gave  da  Gama,  with 
his  own  hands,  the  flag  he  was  to  bear, — a  white  cross  enclosed 
within  a  red  one, — the  Cross  of  the  military  Order  of  Christ. 
Upon  this  he  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Emmanuel  then 
delivered  him  the  journal  of  Covillam,  with  such  charts  as  were 
then  in  existence,  and  letters  to  all  the  Indian  potentates  who 
had  become  known  to  the  Portuguese.  Among  these  was  of 
course  one  addressed  to  the  renoAvned  Prester  John. 

A  map  of  Africa  had  been  lately  designed,  in  accordance 
with  the  discoveries  made  by  land,  as  we  have  mentioned,  by 
Covillam.  The  accompanying  specimen  is  a  fac-simile  of  one 
which  belonged  to  Juan  de  la  Cosa — the  pilot  of  Columbus. 


170 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 


Upon  it  the  principal  cities  are  indicated  by  a  roughly  sketched 
house  or  church;  the  government  is  denoted  by  a  picture  of  a 
king,  closely  resembling  the  royal  gentry  in  a  pack  of  cards; 
while  flags,  planted  at  intervals,  indicate  boundary  lines  and 
frontier  posts.  The  winds  are  represented  by  fabulous  divinities 
sitting  round  the  world  upon  leathern  bottles,  whose  sides  they 
are  pressing  to  force  out  the  air.  The  celebrated  statue  of  the 
Canaries  is  often  seen  flourishing  his  club  at  the  top  of  his  tower. 


MAP    OF    AFRICA    DRAWN    IN    THE    YEAR    1497. 

Abyssinia  figures  with  its  Prester  John,  his  head  being  adorned 
with  a  brilliant  mitre.  Other  kingdoms  are  marked  out  by 
portraits  of  their  kings  in  richly  embroidered  costumes.  The 
inhabitants  of  Africa,  in  maps  of  the  world,  are  represented  as 
giraffes,  black  men,  and  elephants.  Portuguese  camps  are  de 
noted  by  colored  tents,  while  groups  of  light  cavalry,  splendidly 
caparisoned,  dotting  the  territory  at  numerous  points,  indicate 
that  the  Portuguese  army  is  making  the  tour  of  that  mysterious 
continent.  These  quaint  specimens  of  chartographical  art  are, 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  171 

in  short,  the  faithful  expression  of  the  geographical  science  of 
the  age. 

The  fleet  equipped  for  da  Gama's  voyage  consisted  of  three 
ships  and  a  caravel, — the  San  Gabriel,  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons,  commanded  by  da  Gama,  and  piloted  by  Pero 
Dalemquer,  who  had  been  pilot  to  Bartholomew  Diaz  ;  the  San 
Rafael,  of  one  hundred  tons,  commanded  by  Paulo  da  Gama, 
the  admiral's  brother ;  a  store-ship  of  two  hundred  tons ;  and 
the  caravel,  of  fifty  tons,  commanded  by  Nicolao  Coelho.  Be 
sides  these,  Diaz,  who  had  already  been  over  the  route,  was 
ordered  to  accompany  da  Gama  as  far  as  the  Mina.  The  crews 
numbered  in  all  one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  among  whom  were 
ten  malefactors  condemned  to  death,  and  who  had  consequently 
nothing  to  hope  for  in  Portugal.  Their  duty  in  the  fleet  was 
to  go  ashore  upon  savage  coasts  and  attempt  to  open  intercourse 
with  the  natives.  In  case  of  rendering  essential  service  and 
escaping  with  their  lives,  their  sentence  was  to  be  remitted  on 
their  return  home. 

A  small  chapel  stood  upon  the  seaside  about  four  miles  from 
Lisbon.  Hither  da  Gama  and  his  crew  repaired  upon  the  day 
preceding  that  fixed  for  their  departure.  They  spent  the  night 
in  prayer  and  rites  of  devotion,  invoking  the  blessing  and  pro 
tection  of  Heaven.  On  the  morrow,  the  adventurers  marched  to 
their  ships  in  the  midst  of  the  whole  population  of  Lisbon,  who 
now  thronged  the  shore  of  Belem.  A  long  procession  of  priests 
sang  anthems  and  offered  sacrifice.  The  vast  multitude,  catch 
ing  the  fire  of  devotion  and  animated  with  the  fervor  of  religious 
zeal,  joined  aloud  in  the  prayers  for  their  safety.  The  parents 
and  relatives  of  the  travellers  shed  tears,  and  da  Gama  himself 
wept  on  bidding  farewell  to  the  friends  who  gathered  round  him. 

Camoens  thus  describes  the  emotions  of  the  adventurers  as 
they  gazed  at  the  receding  shore: 

"As  from  our  dear-loved  native  shore  we  fly, 
Our  votive  shouts,  redoubled,  rend  the  sky  : 


172  MAN   UPON    THE   SEA. 

'  Success  !     Success!'  far  echoes  o'er  the  tide, 
While  our  broad  hulks  the  foaming  waves  divide. 
When  slowly  gliding  from  our  wistful  eyes, 
The  Lusian  mountains  mingle  with  the  skies  ; 
Tago's  loved  stream  and  Cintra's  mountains  cold, 
Dim  fading  now,  we  now  no  more  behold ; 
And  still  with  yearning  hearts  our  eyes  explore. 
Till  one  dim  speck  of  land  appears  no  more." 

The  admiral  had  fixed  upon  the  Cape  Verd  Islands  as  the 
first  place  of  rendezvous  in  case  of  separation  by  storm.  They 
all  arrived  safely  in  eight  days  at  the  Canaries,  but  were  here 
driven  widely  apart  by  a  tempest  at  night.  The  three  captains 
subsequently  joined  each  other,  but  could  not  find  the  admiral. 
They  therefore  made  for  the  appointed  rendezvous,  where,  to 
their  great  satisfaction,  they  found  da  Gama  already  arrived ; 
"and,  saluting  him  with  many  shots  of  ordnance,  and  with 
sound  of  trumpets,  they  spake  unto  him,  each  of  them  heartily 
rejoicing  and  thanking  God  for  their  safe  meeting  and  good 
fortune  in  this  their  first  brunt  of  danger  and  of  peril."  Diaz 
here  took  leave  of  them  and  returned  to  Portugal.  Then,  on  the 
3d  of  August,  they  set  sail  finally  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

They  continued  without  seeing  land  during  the  months  of 
August,  September,  and  October,  greatly  distressed  by  foul 
weather,  or,  in  the  quaint  language  of  those  days,  "by  torments 
of  wind  and  rain."  At  last,  on  the  7th  of  November,  they 
touched  the  African  coast,  and  anchored  in  a  capacious  bay, 
which  they  called  the  Bay  of  St.  Helena,  and  which  is  not  far 
to  the  north  of  the  Cape.  Here  they  perceived  the  natives  "to 
bee  lyttle  men,  ill  favored  in  the  face,  and  of  color  blacke ;  and 
when  they  did  speake,  it  was  in  such  manner  as  though  they  did 
alwayes  sigh."  Camoens  rhapsodizes  at  length  over  this  approach 
to  the  land ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that,  having  followed  in 
da  Gama's  track  as  early  as  the  year  1553,  his  descriptions  of 
scenery  are  those  of  an  eye-witness : 

"  Loud  through  the  fleet  the  echoing  shouts  prevail: 
We  drop  the  anchor  and  restrain  the  sail ; 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  173 

And  now,  descending  in  a  spacious  bay, 

Wide  o'er  the  coast  the  venturous  soldiers  stray, 

To  spy  the  wonders  of  the  savage  shore 

Where  strangers'  foot  had  never  trod  before. 

I  and  my  pilots,  on  the  yellow  sand, 

Explore  beneath  what  sky  the  shores  expand. 

Here  we  perceived  our  venturous  keels  had  pass'd, 

Unharmed,  the  Southern  tropic's  howling  blast, 

And  now  approached  dread  Neptune's  secret  reign : 

Where  the  stern  power,  as  o'er  the  Austral  main 

He  rides,  wide  scatters  from  the  Polar  Star 

Hail,  ice,  and  snow,  and  all  the  wintry  war." 

Trade  was  now  commenced  between  da  Gama  and  the  natives, 
and,  by  means  of  signs  and  gestures,  cloth,  beads,  bells,  and 
glass  were  bartered  for  articles  of  food  and  other  necessaries. 
But  this  friendly  intercourse  was  soon  interrupted  by  an  act  of 
imprudent  folly  on  the  part  of  a  young  man  of,  the  squadron* 
Being  invited  to  dine  by  a  party  of  the  natives,  he  entered  one 
of  their  huts  to  partake  of  the  repast.  Being  disgusted  at  the 
viands,  which  consisted  of  a  sea-calf  dressed  after  the  manner 
of  the  Hottentots,  he  fled  in  dismay.  He  was  followed  by  his 
perplexed  entertainers,  who  were  anxious  to  learn  how  they  had 
offended  him.  Taking  their  officious  hospitality  for  impertinent 
aggression,  he  shouted  for  help ;  and  it  was  not  long  before 
mutual  apprehension  brought  on  open  hostilities.  Da  Gama  and 
his  officers  were  attacked,  while  taking  the  altitude  of  the  sun 
with  an  astrolabe,  by  a  party  of  concealed  negroes  armed  with 
spears  pointed  with  horn.  The  admiral  was  wounded  in  the 
foot,  and  with  some  difficulty  effected  a  retreat  to  the  ships. 
He  left  the  Bay  of  St.  Helena  on  the  16th  of  November. 

He  now  met  with  a  sudden  and  violent  change  of  weather, 
and  the  Portuguese  historians  have  left  animated  descriptions 
of  the  storm  which  ensued.  During  any  momentary  pause  in 
the  elemental  warfare,  the  sailors,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 
yielding  to  despair,  surrounded  da  Gama,  begging  that  he 
would  not  devote  himself  and  them  to  a  fate  so  dreadful. 
They  declared  that  the  gale  could  no  longer  be  weathered,  and 


174  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

that  every  one  must  be  buried  in  the  waves  if  they  continued  to 
proceed.  The  admiral's  firmness  remained  unshaken,  and  a 
conspiracy  was  soon  formed  against  him.  He  was  informed  in 
time  of  this  desperate  plot  by  his  brother  Paulo.  He  put  the 
ringleaders  and  pilots  in  irons,  and,  assisted  by  his  brother  and 
those  who  remained  faithful  to  their  duty,  stood  night  and  day 
to  the  helm.  At  length,  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  of  November, 
the  whole  squadron  doubled  the  tremendous  promontory.  The 
mutineers  were  pardoned  and  released  from  their  manacles. 

The  legend  of  the  Spectre  of  the  Cape  is  given  by  Camoens 
in  full ;  and  it  is  so  characteristic  of  the  age,  and,  as  an  episode, 
is  itself  so  interesting,  that  we  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  it 
entire.  Da  Gama  is  supposed  to  be  relating  his  experience  in 
the  first  person : 

"I  spoke,  when,  rising  through  the  darken'd  air, 
Appall'd,  we  saw  a  hideous  phantom  glare. 
High  and  enormous  o'er  the  flood  he  tower'd, 
And  thwart  our  way  with  sullen  aspect  lower'd  : 
An  earthly  paleness  o'er  his  cheeks  was  spread, 
Erect  uprose  his  hairs  of  wither'd  red  ; 
Writhing  to  speak,  his  sable  lips  disclose, 
Sharp  and  disjoin'd,  his  gnashing  teeths'  blue  rows ; 
His  haggard  beard  flow'd  quivering  in  the  wind ; 
Revenge  and  horror  in  his  mien  combined  ; 
His  clouded  front,  by  withering  lightnings  sear'd, 
The  inward  anguish  of  his  soul  declared. 
Cold,  gliding  horrors  fill'd  each  hero's  breast; 
Our  bristling  hair  and  tottering  knees  confess'd 
Wild  dread.     The  while,  with  visage  ghastly  wan, 
His  black  lips  trembling,  thus  the  fiend  began  : 

'  Ye  sons  of  Lusus,  who,  with  eyes  profane, 
Have  view'd  the  secrets  of  my  awful  reign, 
Have  pass'd  the  bounds  which  jealous  nature  drew 
To  veil  her  secret  shrine  from  mortal  view  ; 
Hear  from  my  lips  what  direful  woes  attend, 
And,  bursting  soon,  shall  o'er  your  race  descend : 
With  every  bounding  keel  that  dares  my  rage, 
Eternal  war  my  rocks  and  storms  shall  wage. 
The  next  proud  fleet  that  through  my  drear  domain 
With  daring  hand  shall  hoist  the  streaming  vane, 
That  gallant  navy,  by  my  whirlwinds  toss'd, 
And  raging  seas,  shall  perish  on  my  coast. 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  175 

Then  he  who  first  my  secret  reign  descried, 

A  naked  corpse,  wide  floating  o'er  the  tide, 

Shall  drive.     Unless  my  heart's  full  raptures  fail, 

0  Lusus,  oft  shalt  thou  thy  children  wail ! 

Each  year  thy  shipwreck'd  sons  shalt  thou  deplore, 

Each  year  thy  sheeted  masts  shall  strew  my  shore  !'  " 

The  frontispiece  to  this  volume — a  copy  from  an  antique 
original — represents  da  Gama's  ship  and  the  Spectre  of  the 
Cape.  The  table-land  of  the  promontory  is  seen  through  the 
drift  of  the  tempest,  towards  the  east.  The  ship  is  broached  to, 
her  sails  close-furled,  with  the  exception  of  the  foresail,  which 
has  broken  loose  and  is  flapping  wildly  in  the  hurricane.  Both 
the  engraving  and  the  description  we  have  quoted  from  Camoens 
are  strikingly  illustrative  of  those  visionary  horrors  which  per 
vaded  the  minds  of  the  navigators  of  the  period,  and  are  also 
characteristic  of  that  peculiar  cloud  whose  sudden  envelopment 
of  the  Cape  is  the  sure  forerunner  of  a  storm.  The  artist  seems 
to  have  chosen  the  moment  when  the  spectre,  having  uttered  his 
dreadful  prophecy,  is  vanishing  into  air. 


THE  MAN  OVERBOARD,  AND  THE  ALBATROSS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DA  QAMA  AND  THE  NEGROES — THE  HOTTENTOTS  AND  CAFFRES — ADVENTURE 
WITH  AN  ALBATROSS THE  RIVER  OF  GOOD  PROMISE MOZAMBIQUE TREACH 
ERY  OF  THE  NATIVES MOMBASSA — MELINDA,  AND  ITS  AMIABLE  KING — FES 
TIVITIES THE  MALABAR  COAST CALICUT THE  ROUTE  TO  THE  INDIES  DIS 
COVERED. 

DA  GAMA  landed  some  two  hundred  miles  beyond  the  Cape, 
and,  discharging  the  victualling-ship  of  her  stores,  ordered  her 
to  be  burned,  as  the  king  had  directed.  He  then  entered  into 
commercial  relations  with  the  natives,  and  exchanged  red  night 
caps  for  ivory  bracelets.  "  Then  came  two  hundred  blacke  men, 
some  lyttle,  some  great,  bringing  with  them  twelve  oxen  and  four 
sheep,  and  as  our  men  went  upon  shore  they  began  to  play  upon 
four  flutes,  according  with  four  sundry  voices,  the  music  where 
of  sounded  very  well.  Which  the  generall  hearing,  commanded 
176 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  177 

the  trumpets  to  sound,  and  so  they  danced  with  our  men.  In 
this  pastime  and  feasting,  and  in  buying  their  oxen  and  sheep, 
the  day  passed  over."  Da  Gama  had  reason  before  long  to  sus 
pect  treachery,  however,  and  withdrew  his  men  and  re-embarked. 
It  was  in  this  place  that  a  man  falling  overboard,  and  swimming 
for  a  long  time  before  the  accident  was  observed,  was  followed 
by  an  albatross,  who  hovered  in  the  air  just  above  him,  waiting 
the  propitious  moment  when  he  could  make  a  quiet  meal  upon 
him.  The  man  was  subsequently  rescued,  and  the  albatross 
disappointed. 

Da  Gama  now  passed  the  rock  de  la  Cruz,  where  Diaz  had 
erected  his  last  pillar,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  brisk  wind  escaped 
the  dangers  of  the  currents  and  shoals.  Losing  sight  of  land, 
he  recovered  it  again  on  Christmas-day,  and  in  consequence 
named  the  spot  Tierra  da  Natal, — a  name  which  it  still  pre 
serves.  From  this  point  his  course  was  nearly  north,  along  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  continent.  Farther  on  he  landed  two  of 
his  malefactors,  with  instructions  to  inform  themselves  of  the 
character  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants,  promising  to  call  for 
them  on  his  return.  On  the  llth  of  January,  1498,  he  anchored 
off  a  portion  of  the  coast  occupied  by  people  who  seemed  peace 
ably  and  honestly  disposed.  They  were,  in  fact,  Caffres, — the 
fleet  having  passed  the  territory  of  the  Hottentots.  One  of  the 
sailors,  Martin  Alonzo,  understood  their  language, — a  circum 
stance  very  remarkable,  yet  perfectly  authenticated.  As  he 
had  not  been  lower  than  the  Mina,  on  the  western  coast,  and  of 
course  never  upon  the  eastern  at  all,  the  inference  seems  in 
evitable  that  some  of  the  negro  tribes  of  Africa  extend  much 
beyond  the  limits  usually  assigned  them  in  modern  geography. 
After  two  days  spent  in  the  exchange  of  civilities  of  the  most 
courteous  nature,  the  ships  proceeded  on  their  way, — da  Gama 
naming  the  country  Tierra  da  Boa  Crete, — Land  of  Good 
People. 

He  next  found,  at  the  mouth  of  a  large  river,  a  tribe  of 

12 


178  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

negroes  who  seemed  to  have  made  greater  progress  in  civiliza 
tion  than  their  neighbors.  They  had  barks  with  sails  made  of 
palm-leaves, — the  only  indication  of  any  knowledge  of  navi 
gation  the  Portuguese  had  yet  met  with  upon  the  African  coast. 
No  one — not  even  Martin  Alonzo — understood  their  language :  as 
far  as  could  be  gathered  from  their  pantomime,  they  had  come 
from  a  distance  where  they  had  seen  vessels  as  large  as  the  San 
Gabriel,  whence  da  Gama  conjectured  that  the  Indies  were  not 
far  off.  He  gave  to  the  river  the  name  of  Rio  dos  bos  iSinaes, 
or  River  of  Good  Promise.  The  crew  suffered  greatly  here 
from  the  effects  of  scurvy, — many  of  them  dying  of  the  disease 
and  others  succumbing  under  the  consequences  of  amputation. 
The  ships  were  careened  and  repaired :  thirty-two  days  were 
spent  in  this  labor.  These  incidents  are  thus  graphically  de 
scribed  in  the  Lusiad : 

"  Far  from  the  land,  wide  o'er  the  ocean  driven, 
Our  helms  resigning  to  the  care  of  Heaven, 
By  hope  and  fear's  keen  passions  toss'd,  we  roam ; 
When  our  glad  eyes  behold  the  surges  foam 
Against  the  beacons  of  a  shelter' d  bay, 
Where  sloops  and  barges  cut  the  watery  way. 
The  river's  opening  breast  some  upward  plied, 
And  some  came  gliding  down  the  sweepy  tide. 
Quick  throbs  of  transport  heaved  in  every  heart, 
To  view  this  knowledge  of  the  seaman's  art ; 
For  here  we  hoped  our  ardent  wish  to  gain, 
To  hear  of  India's  strand, — nor  hoped  in  vain : 
Though  Ethiopia's  sable  hue  they  bore, 
No  look  of  wild  surprise  the  natives  wore  ; 
Wide  o'er  their  heads  the  cotton  turban  swell'd, 
And  cloth  of  blue  the  decent  loins  conceal'd. 
Their  speech,  though  rude  and  dissonant  of  sound, 
Their  speech  a  mixture  of  Arabian  own'd. 
Alonzo,  skill'd  in  all  the  copious  store 
Of  fair  Arabia's  speech  and  flowery  lore, 
In  joyful  converse  heard  the  pleasing  tale, 
'That  o'er  these  seas  full  oft  the  frequent  sail, 
And  lordly  vessels,  tall  as  ours,  appear'd, 
Which  to  the  regions  of  the  morning  steer'd  : 
Whose  cheerful  crews,  resembling  ours,  display 
The  kindred  face  and  color  of  the  day.' 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  179 

Elate  with  joy,  we  raise  the  glad  acclaim, 
And  RIVER  OF  GOOD  SIGNS  the  port  we  name. 

"  Our  keels,  that  now  "had  steer'd  through  many  a  clime, 
By  shell-fish  roughen'd,  and  incased  with  slime, 
Joyful  we  clean ;  while  bleating  from  the  field 
The  fleecy  dams  the  smiling  natives  yield. 
Alas  !   how  vain  the  bloom  of  human  joy  ! 
How  soon  the  blasts  of  woe  that  bloom  destroy ! 
A  dread  disease  its  rankling  horrors  shed, 
And  death's  dire  ravage  through  mine  army  spread. 
Never  mine  eyes  such  dreary  sight  beheld ! 
Ghastly  the  mouth  and  gums  enormous  swell'd ; 
And  instant,  putrid  like  a  dead  man's  wound, 
Poison'd  with  fetid  steam  the  air  around. 
Long,  long  endear'd  by  fellowship  in  woe, 
O'er  the  cold  dust  we  give  the  tears  to  flow ; 
And  in  their  hapless  lot  forebode  our  own, — 
A  foreign  burial,  and  a  grave  unknown." 

The  fleet  joyfully  left  the  River  of  Good  Promise  on  the  24th 
of  February,  and  not  long  after  discovered  two  groups  of 
islands.  Near  the  coast  of  one  of  these  they  were  followed  by 
eight  canoes,  manned  by  persons  of  fine  stature,  less  black  than 
the  Hottentots,  and  dressed  in  cotton  cloth  of  various  colors. 
Upon  their  heads  they  wore  turbans  wrought  with  silk  and  gold 
thread.  They  were  armed  with  swords  and  daggers  like  the 
Moors,  and  carried  musical  instruments  which  they  called  sag- 
buts.  They  came  on  board  as  if  they  had  known  the  strangers 
before,  and  spoke  in  the  Arabic  tongue,  repelling  with  disdain 
the  supposition  that  they  were  Moors.  They  said  that  their 
island  was  called  Mozambique ;  that  they  traded  with  the  Moors 
of  the  Indies  in  spices,  pearls,  rubies,  silver,  and  linen,  and 
offered  to  take  the  ships  into  their  harbor.  The  bar  permitting 
their  passage,  they  anchored  at  two  crossbow-shots  from  the 
town.  This  was  built  of  wood  and  thatch, — the  mosques  alone 
being  constructed  of  stone.  It  was  occupied  principally  by 
Moors,  the  rest  of  the  island  being  inhabited  by  the  natives,  who 
were  the  same  as  those  of  the  mainland  opposite.  The  Moors 
traded  with  the  Indies  and  with  the  African  Sofala  in  ships 


180  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

without  decks  and  built  without  the  use  of  nails, — the  planks 
being  bound  together  by  cocoa  fibres,  and  the  sails  being  made 
of  palm-leaves.  They  had  compasses  and  charts. 

The  Moorish  governor  of  Mozambique  and  the  other  Moors  sup 
posed  the  Portuguese  to  be  Turks,  on  account  of  the  whiteness 
of  their  skin.  They  sent  them  provisions,  in  return  for  which 
da  Gama  sent  the  shah  a  quantity  of  red  caps,  coral,  copper 
vessels,  and  bells.  The  shah  set  no  value  upon  these  articles, 
and  inquired  disdainfully  why  the  captain  had  not  sent  him 
scarlet  cloth.  He  afterwards  went  on  board  the  flag-ship,  where 
he  was  received  with  hospitality,  though  not  without  secret  pre 
parations  against  treachery.  The  Portuguese  learned  from  him 
that  he  governed  the  island  as  the  deputy  of  the  King  of 
Quiloa;  that  Prester  John  lived  and  ruled  a  long  distance 
towards  the  interior  of  the  mainland;  that  Calicut,  whither  da 
Gama  was  bound,  was  two  thousand  miles  to  the  northeast,  but 
that  he  could  not  proceed  thither  without  the  guidance  of  pilots 
familiar  with  the  navigation.  He  promised  to  furnish  him  with 
two.  Discovering  subsequently,  however,  that  the  strangers 
were  Christians,  the  shah  contrived  a  plot  for  their  destruction. 
The  vessels  escaped,  but  with  only  one  pilot,  whose  treachery 
throughout  the  voyage  was  a  source  of  constant  annoyance 
and  peril.  On  departing,  da  Gama  gave  the  traitors  a  broad 
side,  which  did  considerable  damage  to  their  village  of  thatch. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  da  Gama  gave  to  an  island  which  he 
discovered  the  name  of  A^outado,  in  commemoration  of  a  sound 
flagellation  which  was  there  administered  to  the  pilot  for  telling 
him  it  formed  part  of  the  continent, — upon  which  he  confessed 
that  his  purpose  in  thus  misrepresenting  the  case  was  to  wreck 
and  destroy  the  ships.  On  the  7th,  they  came  to  the  large 
island  of  Mombassa,  where  they  found  rice,  millet,  poultry, 
and  fat  cattle,  and  sheep  without  tails.  The  orchards  were 
filled  with  fig,  orange,  and  lemon  trees.  This  island  received 
honey,  ivory,  and  wax  from  a  port  upon  the  mainland.  The 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  181 

houses  were  built  of  stone  and  mortar,  and  the  city  was  de 
fended  by  a  small  fort  almost  even  with  the  water.  "  They  have 
a  king,"  says  the  chronicle,  "and  the  inhabitants  are  Moores, 
whereof  some  bee  white.  They  goe  gallantly  arrayed,  especially 
the  women,  apparelled  in  gownes  of  silke  and  bedecked  with 
Jewells  of  golde  and  precious  stones.  The  men  were  greatly 
comforted,  as  having  confidence  that  in  this  place  they  might 
cure  such  as  were  then  sick, — as  in  truth  were  almost  all ;  in 
number  but  fewe,  as  the  others  Avere  dead." 

The  King  of  Mombassa,  however,  was  as  great  a  rogue  as  the 
Shah  of  Mozambique,  from  whom  he  had  heard,  by  overland 
communication,  of  what  had  happened  in  his  island.  During 
the  night  following  a  grand  interchange  of  civilities  and  of  pro 
testations,  da  Gama  was  informed  that  a  sea-monster  was  de 
vouring  the  cable.  It  turned  out  that  a  number  of  Moors  were 
endeavoring  to  cut  it,  that  the  ship  might  be  driven  ashore. 
Anxious  to  quit  this  inhospitable  coast,  the  fleet  profited  by  the 
first  wind  to  continue  their  course  to  the  north.  They  captured 
a  zambuco,  or  pinnace,  from  which  they  took  seventeen  Moors 
and  a  considerable  quantity  of  silver  and  gold.  On  the  same 
day  they  arrived  off  the  town  of  Melinda,  situated  three  degrees 
only  to  the  south  of  the  equator.  The  city  resembled  the  cities 
of  Europe,  the  streets  being  wide,  and  the  houses  being  of 
stone  and  several  stories  high.  "  The  generall,"  we  are  told, 
"being  come  over  against  this  citie,  did  rejoyce  in  his  heart 
very  much,  that  he  now  sawe  a  citie  lyke  unto  those  of  Portin- 
gale,  and  rendered  most  heartie  and  humble  thanks  to  God  for 
their  good  and  safe  arrival."  The  chief  of  the  captured  zam 
buco  offered  to  procure  da  Gama  a  pilot  to  take  the  fleet  to 
Calicut,  if  he  would  permit  him  to  go  ashore.  He  was  landed 
upon  a  beach  opposite  the  city.  The  chief  performed  his 
promise,  and  induced  the  King  of  Melinda  to  treat  the  strangers 
with  courtesy  and  respect.  Camoens  thus  describes  the  festivi 
ties  upon  the  alliance : 


182  MAN    UPON    THE   SEA. 

"With  that  ennobling  worth  whose  fond  employ 
Befriends  the  brave,  the  monarch  owns  his  joy  ; 
Entreats  the  leader  and  his  weary  band 
To  taste  the  dews  of  sweet  repose  on  land, 
And  all  the  riches  of  his  cultured  fields 
Obedient  to  the  nod  of  Gama  yields. 
'  What  from  the  blustering  winds  and  lengthening  tide 
Your  ships  have  suffer'd,  here  shall  be  supplied ; 
Arms  and  provisions  I  myself  will  send, 
And,  great  of  skill,  a  pilot  shall  attend." 
So  spoke  the  king ;  and  now,  with  purpled  ray, 
Beneath  the  shining  wave  the  god  of  day 
Retiring,  left  the  evening  shades  to  spread, 
When  to  the  fleet  the  joyful  herald  sped. 
To  find  such  friends  each  breast  with  rapture  glows  : 
The  feast  is  kindled,  and  the  goblet  flows ; 
The  trembling  comet's  irritating  rays 
Bound  to  the  skies,  and  trail  a  sparkling  blaze  ; 
The  vaulting  bombs  awake  their  sleeping  fire, 
And,  like  the  Cyclops'  bolt,  to  heaven  aspire; 
The  trump  and  fife's  shrill  clarion  far  around 
The  glorious  music  of  the  night  resound. 
Nor  less  their  joy  Melinda's  sons  display  : 
The  sulphur  bursts  in  many  an  ardent  ray, 
And  to  the  heavens  ascends  in  whizzing  gyres, 
Whilst  Ocean  flames  with  artificial  fires." 


During  the  interview  which  followed,  the  king  remarked 
that  he  had  never  seen  any  men  who  pleased  him  so  much  as 
the  Portuguese, — a  compliment  which  da  Gama  acknowledged  by 
setting  at  liberty  the  sixteen  Moors  of  the  captured  pinnace. 
The  king  sent  the  promised  pilot  on  his  return ;  he  proved  to 
be  as  deeply  skilled  in  the  art  of  navigation  as  any  of  the  pilots 
of  Europe.  He  was  acquainted  with  the  astrolabe,  compass, 
and  quadrant.  The  fleet  set  sail  from  Melinda  on  the  24th  of 
April.  As  they  had  now  gone  far  enough  towards  the  north, 
and  as  India  lay  nearly  east,  they  bade  farewell  to  the  coast,  of 
which  they  had  hardly  lost  sight  since  leaving  Lisbon,  and  struck 
into  the  open  sea,  or  rather  a  wide  gulf  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  across.  A  few  days  after, 
having  crossed  the  line,  the  crew  were  delighted  to  behold  again 
the  stars  and  constellations  of  the  Northern  hemisphere.  The 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


183 


voyage  was  rapid  and  fortunate ;  for  in  twenty-three  days  they 
arrived  off  the  Malabar  coast,  and,  after  a  day  or  two  of  south 
ing,  discovered  the  lofty  hills  which  overhang  the  city  of  Calicut. 
Da  Gama  amply  rewarded  the  pilot,  released  the  malefactors 
from  their  fetters,  and  summoned  the  crew  to  prayer.  The 
anchor  was  then  thrown,  and  a  feast  was  spread  in  honor  of  the 
day.  The  route  by  sea  had  been  discovered  from  the  Tagus  to 
the  Ganges:  da  Gama  had  laid  out  the  way  from  Belem  to 
Golconda. 


CALICUT     IN     THE     SIXTEENTH     CENTURY. 


WRECK     OF     THE     SAN     RAFAEL. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    MOORS    IN    HINDOSTAN CONDITION    OF  THE    COUNTRY   UPON  THE  ARRIVAL  OF 

DA   GAMA — HOSTILITY    OF    THE    MOORS — THEY    PREJUDICE    THE    KING    OF    CALI 
CUT     AGAINST     THE     PORTUGUESE CONSEQUENT     HOSTILITIES DA     GAMA    SETS 

OUT     UPON     HIS     RETURN WILD     CINNAMON — A     MOORISH     PIRATE     DISGUISED 

AS    AN     ITALIAN     CHRISTIAN — A     TEMPESTUOUS    VOYAGE WRECK    OF    THE     SAN 

RAFAEL HONORS     AND     TITLES     BESTOWED     UPON     DA    GAMA AN     EXPEDITION 

FITTED    OUT    UNDER    ALVAREZ    CABRAL ACCIDENTAL     DISCOVERY    OF    BRAZIL 

COMETS     AND      WATER- SPOUTS LOSS     OF     FOUR     VESSELS — A     BAZAAR     ESTA 
BLISHED     AT     CALICUT ATTACK     BY     THE     MO»RS CABRAL      WITHDRAWS     TO 

COCHIN — VISITS     CANANOR     AND     TAKES     IN     A     LOAD     OF     CINNAMON — IS     RE 
CEIVED     WITH     COLDNESS      UPON     HIS     RETURN VASCO     DA     GAMA    RECALLED 

INTO    THE    SERVICE    BY    THE    KING HIS    ACHIEVEMENTS    AT    8OFALA,    CANAXOR, 

AND      CALICUT — HE      HANGS      FIFTY     INDIANS     AT     THE     YARD-ARM — PROTECTS 
COCHIN    AND    THREATENS    CALICUT — WITHDRAWS    TO    PRIVATE    LIFE. 

SOME  two  hundred  years  before  this  time,  the  Malabar  coast 
of  Hindostan  was  united  under  one  single  native  prince — named 
Perimal — whose  capital  was  in  the  interior.  It  was  at  this  period 
that  the  Arabians  discovered  India.  Perimal  embraced  the  Mo 
hammedan  religion,  and  resolved  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca 
and  to  finish  his  days  there.  He  intrusted  the  government  to 
other  hands,  and  embarked  for  Arabia  from  the  spot  where  Cali 
cut  now  stands.  The  Arabians  were  led  by  this  circumstance  to 
184 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  185 

regard  Calicut  with  peculiar  veneration,  and  by  degrees  aban 
doned  the  former  capital :  it  was  thus  that  Calicut  gradually 
became  the  great  spice  and  silk  market  of  the  East. 

In  the  time  of  Vasco  da  Gama,  India  Proper,  or  Hindostan, 
was  divided  into  several  independent  kingdoms,  such  as  Moul- 
tan,  Delhi,  Bengal,  Orissa,  Guzarate  or  Cambaia,  Deccan,  Ca- 
nara,  Bisnagar,  and  Malabar.  The  divisions  of  Farther  India 
were  Ava,  Brama,  Pegu,  Siam,  Cambodia,  Cochin-China,  and 
Tonkin.  The  Portuguese  fleet  had  arrived  upon  the  coast  of 
Malabar,  which  is  the  edge  of  the  southwestern  promontory  of 
Hindostan.  It  was  here,  and  upon  the  western  coast  generally, 
that  the  Portuguese  were  now  enabled  to  plant  establishments 
and  to  form  treaties  of  alliance  and  commerce. 

The  Moors  of  Arabia  had  already,  as  we  have  said,  a  foot 
hold  in  the  country,  and  were  alarmed  at  seeing  Europeans 
arrive  by  sea  at  the  scene  of  a  trade  of  which  they  had  hitherto 
held  the  exclusive  monopoly.  They  succeeded  in  throwing  ob 
stacles  in  the  way  of  the  Portuguese  admiral,  and  in  poisoning 
the  ear  of  the  Indian  zamorin,  or  king,  against  him.  They 
even  laid  a  plot  for  the  destruction  of  the  fleet  and  all  on  board, 
that  no  one  might  return  to  Europe  to  tell  of  the  new  route  to 
the  Indies.  The  native  monarch  was  induced  by  them  to  testify 
dissatisfaction  with  the  presents  da  Gama  had  brought,  and  to 
ask  for  the  golden  statue  of  the  Virgin  that  ornamented  the 
admiral's  ship,  as  a  more  suitable  offering  to  one  of  his  rank. 
Da  Gama  replied  that  it  was  not  a  golden  Virgin,  but  a  wooden 
one  gilt ;  that  it  had  nevertheless  preserved  him  from  the  perils 
of  the  sea,  and  that  he  could  not  part  with  it.  After  many 
proofs  of  the  hostility  of  the  Moors  and  the  treachery  of  the 
natives,  da  Gama  obtained  from  the  zamorin  the  following 
laconic  epistle  to  his  sovereign: — "Vasco  da  Gama,  a  gentleman 
of  thy  house,  has  visited  my  country.  His  arrival  has  given  me 
pleasure.  My  land  is  full  of  cinnamon,  cloves,  pepper,  and  pre 
cious  stones.  What  I  desire  to  obtain  in  return  from  yours  is 


186  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

gold,  silver,  coral,  and  scarlet."  With  this  missive  da  Gama 
set  sail  upon  his  return  early  in  September.  The  zamorin  sent 
sixty  armed  barks  to  attack  him,  but  a  broadside  or  two  and  a 
favorable  wind  enabled  him  to  make  good  his  escape.  Upon  a 
neighboring  island  some  of  the  crew  discovered  a  large  forest 
of  wild  cinnamon.  Not  far  from  here,  da  Gama  discovered  the 
Angedive,  or  Five  Islands,  and  in  the  vicinity  had  a  brush  with 
Indian  pirates.  An  elderly  person,  differing  in  appearance 
from  the  natives,  came  on  board  and  represented  himself  as  an 
Italian  Christian.  He  had  come  from  the  Indians  of  the  island 
of  Goa,  he  said,  to  beg  the  admiral  to  go  thither  and  trade. 
This  well-behaved  old  gentleman  proved  to  be  a  sort  of  Moorish 
buccaneer,  and,  upon  being  put  to  the  torture,  confessed  that 
he  was  a  spy,  and  that  he  had  been  sent  to  reconnoitre  the  fleet 
and  count  their  numbers.  Da  Gama  retained  him  as  a  trophy 
to  present  to  King  Emmanuel.  He  finally  left  the  Indian  coast 
on  the  15th  of  October. 

When  they  were  fairly  out  at  sea,  the  pirate-prisoner  made 
a  complete  confession,  and  his  evident  sincerity  quite  won  da 
Gama's  heart.  He  gave  him  clothes  and  a  supply  of  money. 
The  Moor  repented  of  his  evil  ways  and  of  his  pagan  faith,  and 
forthwith  embraced  Christianity.  He  was  baptized  by  the  name 
of  Gaspardo  da  Gama. 

The  voyage  back  to  Melinda,  across  the  gulf,  was  disastrous 
in  every  sense.  The  weather  was  tempestuous  and  hot.  The 
scurvy  carried  off  thirty  men  in  the  first  week,  and  consterna 
tion  seized  the  officers  and  crew.  After  four  months'  naviga 
tion,  when  hardly  sixteen  men  able  to  work  were  left  on  each 
vessel,  they  descried  the  African  coast,  thirteen  leagues  above 
Melinda.  Descending  to  the  latter  city,  they  were  received 
with  joy  by  the  king,  who  was  anxiously  awaiting  their  return. 
They  took  on  board  an  ambassador  sent  by  him  to  King  Em 
manuel.  The  San  Rafael  was  lost  upon  this  coast,  and  the 
fleet  thus  reduced  to  two  vessels.  Da  Gama  discovered  the 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  187 

island  of  Zanzibar,  and  received  offers  of  service  from  the 
sovereign.  He  doubled  the  Cape  successfully  on  the  20th  of 
March,  and  anchored  soon  after  at  the  Cape  Verds.  Here, 
during  the  night,  Nicolao  Coelho,  the  captain  of  the  caravel, 
slipped  away,  and  made  all  haste  to  Portugal,  in  order  to  be 
the  first  to  carry  to  Europe  the  intelligence  of  the  grand  dis 
covery. 

Da  Gama  now  found  that  he  could  prosecute  the  voyage  no 
further  in  his  disabled  vessel,  the  San  Gabriel,  and  chartered  a 
caravel  in  which  to  proceed  to  Lisbon.  On  the  way  his  brother 
Paulo  died,  and  was  buried  at  the  island  of  Terceira.  Vasco 
arrived  at  Belem  in  September,  1499,  two  years  and  two  months 
after  his  departure.  The  king,  informed  of  his  approach  by 
the  previous  arrival  of  Coelho,  sent  a  magnificent  cortege  to 
conduct  him  to  court.  He  overwhelmed  him  with  honors, 
wealth,  and  distinctions.  He  himself  took  the  title  of  Lord  of 
the  Conquest  of  Ethiopia,  Arabia,  Persia,  and  the  Indies.  Coelho 
was  ennobled,  and  a  pension  of  one  thousand  ducats  secured  to 
him.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  men  who  departed  upon 
this  voyage,  only  fifty-five  had  returned,  and  all  these  were 
munificently  rewarded  for  their  share  in  the  brilliant  achieve 
ments  of  their  commander.  The  king  ordered  a  series  of 
public  festivities,  which  were  preceded  by  a  solemn  service  of 
thanksgiving  to  Heaven  for  the  glory  vouchsafed  to  the  Portu 
guese  name  and  nation. 

Emmanuel  allowed  not  a  week  to  pass  before  he  directed  the 
necessary  preparations  to  be  made  for  fitting  out  another  and 
more  powerful  fleet,  to  follow  in  da  Gama's  track  and  attempt 
to  colonize  the  Indies.  He  determined  that  da  Gama  should 
enjoy  his  dignities  and  renown  in  peace,  however,  and  intrusted 
the  command  to  one  Pedro  Alvarez  Cabral,  a  gentleman  of 
merit  and  distinction.  The  fleet  numbered  thirteen  vessels, 
manned  by  twelve  hundred  men,  among  whom  were  eight  Fran 
ciscans  to  convert  the  pagans,  and  some  thirty  condemned  male- 


188  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

factors  to  undertake  communications  with  the  savages.  Cabral 
carried  a  hat  blessed  by  the  Pope  and  deemed  to  possess  miracu 
lous  virtues.  Among  the  captains  were  Bartholomew  Diaz  and 
his  brother  Diego.  The  specific  object  of  the  expedition  was 
to  obtain  permission  from  the  Zamorin  of  Calicut  to  establish  a 
trading  station  there,  the  Portuguese  promising  in  return  to 
furnish  him  the  same  articles  which  the  Moors  furnished  him, 
and  on  more  advantageous  terms. 

The  squadron  set  sail  on  the  9th  of  March,  1500.  It  will 
appear  almost  incredible  that,  in  order  to  avoid  the  calms  known 
to  prevail  at  that  season  off  the  coast  of  Guinea,  they  pro 
ceeded  so  far  to  the  west  that,  late  in  April,  they  touched 
at  the  continent  now  known  as  South  America;  where,  how 
ever,  Yanez  Pinzon  had  been  before  them.  Cabral  gave  to  it 
the  name  of  Land  of  the  Holy  Cross  ;  but  this,  as  well  as  the 
name  given  by  Pinzon,  was  subsequently  changed  to  that  of 
Brazil,  from  a  species  of  dye-wood  which  grew  in  abundance 
there.  The  inhabitants  were  friendly,  and  exchanged  parrots 
of  brilliant  plumage  for  bits  of  paper  and  cloth.  Cabral  put 
two  of  his  criminals  ashore  and  left  them,  with  instructions  to 
inquire  into  the  history  of  the  country  and  the  customs  of  its 
inhabitants.  He  also  sent  one  of  his  vessels  back  to  Lisbon 
with  intelligence  of  the  discovery. 

The  fleet  left  Brazil  on  the  2d  of  May,  steering  to  the  south 
east,  in  order  to  double  the  Cape.  A  terrible  comet  visible  day 
and  night,  a  storm  which  lasted  three  weeks,  a  water-spout 
reaching  to  the  clouds, — this  latter  being  a  phenomenon  which 
the  Portuguese  had  never  before  seen, — now  menaced  and  har- 
rassed  them  in  quick  succession.  Four  vessels  were  lost,  and 
among  them  that  of  Bartholomew  Diaz,  with  all  on  board.  The 
rest  were  severely  injured  ;  but  Cabral  was  rejoiced  to  find  that 
during  the  storm  he  had  weathered  the  redoubtable  promontory. 
Encountering  some  Moorish  vessels  laden  with  gold,  he  seized 
them,  but  not  until  the  crews  had  thrown  a  portion  of  the  pre- 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  189 

cious  metal  into  the  sea.  At  Mozambique  he  took  a  pilot  for 
the  island  of  Quiloa,  three  hundred  miles  to  the  north,  whose 
sovereign  was  enriched  by  his  gold-trade  with  the  African  port 
of  Sofala.  Here  he  attempted  to  enter  into  a  treaty  of  com 
merce  ;  but  the  prejudices  entertained  against  Christians  pre 
vented  any  concessions  on  the  part  of  the  Moors.  At  Melinda 
Cabral  landed  two  criminals  and  the  presents  for  the  king  sent 
out  by  Emmanuel.  Obtaining  pilots  for  the  Indian  coast,  he 
departed  on  the  7th  of  August,  and  arrived  at  Calicut  on  the 
13th  of  September. 

From  this  point  dates  the  first  European  establishment  in 
the  East  Indies.  Stimulated  by  considerations  of  interest,  the 
zamorin,  after  many  delays,  granted  the  admiral  an  interview, 
in  which  the  latter  stated  the  ardent  desire  of  his  master,  the 
King  of  Portugal,  to  furnish  the  zamorin's  subjects  with  all 
articles  of  European  production  or  manufacture,  taking  in 
exchange  the  spices  and  jewels  of  the  East.  A  market  or 
bazaar  was  at  once  opened,  and  the  cargoes  of  the  ships,  being 
transferred  to  it,  were  rapidly  converted  into  cinnamon,  diamonds, 
and  drugs. 

The  Moors  now  became  seriously  jealous  of  the  activity, 
power,  and  success  of  their  rivals.  They  resorted  to  every 
means  to  excite  the  hostility  of  the  zamorin  and  his  subjects 
against  them.  They  attacked  and  destroyed  the  Portuguese 
market,  plundering  it  of  goods  to  the  amount  of  four  thousand 
ducats.  The  inconstant  zamorin  offering  neither  apology  nor 
restitution,  Cabral  determined  on  vengeance.  He  boarded  two 
large  Moorish  vessels,  killed  six  hundred  men,  and  salted  down 
three  elephants  for  food.  He  then  bombarded  the  town :  palaces, 
temples,  and  storehouses  crumbled  to  dust  beneath  the  thunders 
of  the  artillery.  The  zamorin  fled,  and  Cabral  withdrew  with 
his  victorious  fleet  to  Cochin,  a  rich  capital  one.  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  to  the  south  of  Calicut,  where  pepper  was  abundant 
and  the  king  was  poor.  Trimumpara,  the  monarch,  was  in- 


190  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

formed  of  the  summary  vengeance  wreaked  by  the  fleet  upon 
his  brother  of  Calicut,  and  at  once  offered  the  strangers  hospi 
tality  and  protection.  The  admiral  sent  him  a  silver  basin  full 
of  saffron  and  a  silver  vial  filled  with  rose-water.  Trade  and 
barter  rapidly  loaded  the  ships  with  the  fragrant  commodities 
of  the  country.  A  fleet  of  twenty-five  sail  now  appeared  in  the 
offing,  and  Trimumpara  told  Cabral  that  their  object  was  to 
attack  him,  and  that  they  were  sent  by  the  zamorin  of  Calicut. 
Cabral,  having  been  separated  from  his  most  efficient  ship,  de 
termined  not  to  venture  a  combat,  and  made  for  the  north,  cast 
ing  anchor  before  Cananor,  a  town  a  little  above  Calicut.-  Here 
he  found  a  commodious  roadstead,  an  independent  prince,  and 
a  soil  abounding  in  ginger,  cardamom-seeds,  tamarinds,  and 
cinnamon.  Of  the  latter  article  he  took  four  hundred  quintals. 
The  king,  judging,  from  the  insignificance  of  this  purchase,  that 
he  was  short  of  money,  offered  him  a  further  supply  upon  credit. 
Cabral  expressed  his  sense  of  appreciation  of  this  generosity, 
but  declined  the  proposition.  The  fleet  now  sailed  homewards : 
one  of  the  vessels  was  lost  upon  the  African  coast,  and,  taking 
fire,  was  destroyed  with  its  contents.  The  six  ships  remaining 
of  the  twelve  which  had  left  Brazil,  arrived  at  Lisbon  on  the 
31st  of  July,  1501.  Cabral  was  received  with  coldness  by  the 
king,  partly  on  account  of  the  loss  of  ships  and  men  he  had  met 
with,  and  partly  on  account  of  his  failure  at  Calicut,  to  which 
place  he, — the  king, — relying  on  Cabral's  success,  had  sent  out, 
three  months  previous  to  his  retuin,  a  fleet  of  four  vessels  under 
Juan  de  Nueva.  This  expedition  was  singularly  happy  in  its  re 
sults, — Nueva  lading  his  vessels  to  great  advantage  at  Cananor,  and 
discovering  the  island  of  St.  Helena  upon  his  homeward  voyage. 
It  was  now  evident  to  the  Portuguese  that  without  the  em 
ployment  of  force  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  a  permanent 
foothold  in  the  Indies.  After  listening  to  a  deliberation  as  to 
whether  it  were  not  best  to  abandon  the  attempt  altogether, 
Emmanuel  ordered  the  equipment  of  a  grand  fleet  of  twenty 


DA    GAMA'S     FLAGSHIP. 


MAN    UPON  THE    SEA.  191 

vessels,  to  be  placed  under  the  command  of  Vasco  da  Gama, 
who  consented  to  resume  active  life.  It  was  to  be  divided  into 
three  portions :  the  first,  consisting  of  ten  sail,  under  da  Gama, 
was  to  undertake  the  subjugation  of  the  refractory  kings  of 
Malabar;  the  second,  of  five  sail,  under  Vincent  Sodrez,  was 
to  guard  the  entrance  of  the  Red  Sea  into  the  Indian  Ocean, 
and  thus  prevent  the  Turks  and  Moors  from  trading  with  the 
ports  of  Africa  and  Hindostan;  and  the  third,  of  five  vessels, 
under  Stefano  da  Gama,  was  to  be  detailed  upon  any  service 
the  admiral  might  direct.  They  sailed  early  in  1502,  and 
formed  a  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce  with  the  king  of 
Sofala,  without  difficulty.  Da  Gama  obtained  from  the  king 
of  Quiloa  an  engagement  to  pay  to  the  crown  of  Portugal  an 
annual  tribute  in  gold  fresh  from  the  mine.  Upon  the  Indian 
coast  near  Cananor,  he  fell  in  with  an  Egyptian  vessel  of  the 
largest  size,  laden  with  costly  merchandise  and  crowded  with 
Moors  of  high  rank  on  their  way  to  Mecca.  He  attacked, 
plundered,  and  burned  her :  three  hundred  men  and  women 
perished  in  the  flames,  in  the  sea,  or  by  the  sword.  Twenty 
children  were  saved  and  conveyed  to  the  ship  of  da  Gama,  who 
made  a  vow  to  educate  them  as  Christians,  in  atonement  for  the 
apostasy  of  one  Portuguese  who  had  become  a  Mohammedan. 
After  this  sanguinary  lesson,  da  Gama  found  no  obstacles  to 
the  establishment  of  a  trading  station  at  Cananor,  where  his 
fleet  landed  a  portion  of  their  cargoes.  He  then  sailed  to 
Calicut,  determined  to  inflict  summary  vengeance  upon  the 
faithless  and  treacherous  zamorin. 

Not  far  from  the  coast  he  seized  a  number  of  boats  in  which 
were  fifty  Indians.  He  sent  word  to  the  zamorin  that,  unless 
satisfaction  were  given  for  the  late  destruction  of  the  Portu 
guese  bazaar  before  noon,  he  would  attack  the  city  with  fire  and 
sword,  and  would  begin  with  his  fifty  prisoners.  The  time  having 
expired,  the  unfortunate  captives  were  hung  simultaneously  at 
the  yard-arms  of  the  various  vessels.  The  town  was  then  reduced 


192  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

to  ashes.  A  squadron  was  left  to  sweep  the  Moorish  vessels 
from  the  seas,  and  da  Gama  proceeded  down  the  coast  to  Cochin, 
the  city  of  the  friendly  Trimumpara.  Presents  and  compliments 
were  here  exchanged, — the  offerings  of  the  King  of  Portugal 
being  a  golden  crown,  vases  of  embossed  silver,  a  rich  tent,  a 
piece  of  scarlet  satin,  and  a  bit  of  sandal-wood,  while  those  of 
his  majesty  of  Cochin  were  a  Moorish  turban  of  silver  thread, 
two  gold  bracelets  set  with  precious  stones,  two  large  pieces  of 
Bengal  calico,  and  a  stone  said  to  be  a  specific  against  poison, 
and  taken  from  the  head  of  an  animal  called  bulgodolph, — a 
fabulous  creature,  declared  by  some  to  be  a  serpent  and  by 
others  to  be  a  quadruped. 

An  apology  was  now  received  from  the  zamorin,  and  da  Gama 
returned  to  Calicut  with  only  one  vessel.  Seeing  him  thus 
single-handed,  the  zamorin  sent  thirty-three  armed  canoes 
against  him,  and,  without  the  prompt  assistance  of  Sodrez' 
cruising  squadron,  da  Gama  would  inevitably  have  perished. 
The  zamorin  now  threatened  Trimumpara  with  his  vengeance  if 
he  continued  to  harbor  the  Portuguese  and  to  trade  with  Chris 
tian  infidels.  Da  Gama  promised  Trimumpara  the  assistance 
and  alliance  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  and  set  sail  with  well- 
laden  vessels.  He  met  the  zamorin's  fleet  of  twenty-nine 
sail,  and,  having  captured  two,  put  the  rest  to  flight  with  great 
slaughter.  In  the  two  that  were  taken  he  found  an  immense 
quantity  of  porcelain  and  Chinese  stuffs,  together  with  an 
enormous  golden  idol,  with  emeralds  for  eyes,  a  robe  of  beaten 
gold  for  a  vestment,  and  rubies  for  buttons.  Leaving  Sodrez  and 
his  fleet  to  defend  Cochin  against  Calicut  and  to  exterminate 
the  traders  from  Mecca,  da  Gama  returned  with  thirteen  vessels 
to  Portugal.  The  king  conferred  upon  him  the  titles  of  Admiral 
of  the  Indian  Ocean  and  Count  de  Vidigueira.  He  again 
withdrew  to  privacy,  and  did  not  a  second  time  emerge  into 
public  life  till  the  year  1524,  when  the  interests  of  the  country 
under  John  III.  again  reclaimed  his  services  in  the  East. 


VESSELS    EMPLOYED    IN   THE   SPICE-TRADE:    SIXTEENTH   CENTURY. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

SPREAD    OF   THE    PORTUGUESE    EAST  INDIAN   EMPIRE ALPHONZO  D*ALBUQUER- 

QUE IMMENSE   SACRIFICE    OF  LIFE ANCIENT   ROUTE    OF   THE  SPICE-TRADE 

WITH  EUROPE — COMMERCE   BY  CARATANS REVOLUTION  PRODUCED  BY  OPEN 
ING  THE  NEW  ROUTE — FRANCESCO  ALMEIDA DISCOVERY  OF  CEYLON TRISTAN 

D'ACUNHA — THE    PORTUGUESE    MARS — HIS  VIEWS    OF   EMPIRE — AN   ARSENAL 

ESTABLISHED   AT   GOA — REDUCTION   OF   MALACCA SIAM  AND  SUMATRA  SEND 

EMBASSIES   TO    ALBUQUERQUE — THE    ISLAND    OF    ORMUZ — DEATH    OF    ALBU 
QUERQUE EXTENT    OF    THE    PORTUGUESE    DOMINION ORMUZ    BECOMES    THE 

GREAT  EMPORIUM  OF  THE  EAST FALL  OF  THE  PORTUGUESE  EMPIRE. 

HAVING  narrated,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  the  incidents 
which  led  to  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa,  and  having  de 
scribed  the  several  voyages  which  introduced  the  Europeans  into 
the  East,  by  the  new  route  of  the  Indian  Ocean  and  the  Cape 
of  Tempests,  we  must  briefly  allude  to  the  sequel, — the  spread 
of  European  commerce  among  the  islands  and  seaports  of  this 
highly  favored  region.  Alphonzo  and  Francesco  d' Albuquer 
que,  with  a  fleet  of  nine  vessels,  and  Edoardo  Pacheco,  with 
three  vessels,  carried  terror  and  revenge  to  the  Malabar  coast  : 
forts  were  built  to  protect  the  Portuguese  commerce,  tings  were 
forced  to  pay  tribute,  fleets  were  swept  from  the  seas  ;  and,  as  a 
proverb  of  the  time  expressed  it,  pepper  began  to  cost  blood. 
Again  the  King  of  Portugal  sent  out  a  formidable  squadron, — 

13  '    193 


194  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

thirteen  ships  of  the  line,  the  largest  yet  constructed,  under 
Lopez  Soarez.  Sea-battles  now  took  place,  in  which  the  pro 
portions  of  the  slain  were  one  thousand  infidels  to  seventy-five 
Portuguese, — in  which  a  single  European  vessel  contended  suc 
cessfully  with  myriads  of  the  native  barks.  The  sacrifice  of 
life  was  truly  awful ;  but  gradually  the  whole  eastern  coast  of 
Africa,  and,  opposite  to  it,  the  whole  western  coast  of  India, 
fell  under  Portuguese  sway. 

The  entire  commerce  of  this  quarter  of  the  world  was  of 
course  revolutionized  by  these  discoveries  and  conquests.  Be 
fore  this  period  the  productions  of  the  East  had  been  carried  to 
Europe  in  the  following  manner.  The  city  of  Malacca,  in  the  pen 
insula  of  the  same  name,  was  the  central  market  to  which  came 
the  camphor  of  Borneo,  the  cloves  of  the  Moluccas,  the  nutmegs 
of  Banda,  the  pepper  of  Sumatra,  the  gums,  drugs,  and  per 
fumes  of  China,  Japan,  and  Siam.  These  products  were  taken 
by  water,  either  in  the  clumsy  boats  of  the  natives  or  the  more 
solid  vessels  of  the  Moors,  to  the  ports  of  the  Red  Sea,  were 
landed  at  Tor  or  at  Suez,  whence  they  were  transported  by  cara 
vans  to  Cairo,  and  thence  by  the  Nile  to  Alexandria,  where 
they  were  placed  on  board  of  vessels  bound  to  all  the  ports  of 
Europe.  Those  intended  for  Armenia,  Trebizonde,  Aleppo, 
Damascus,  were  taken  by  the  Persian  Gulf  to  Bassorah,  and 
thence  distributed  by  caravans.  The  Venetians  and  Genoese 
took  their  portion  at  Beyrout,  in  Syria.  The  East  Indians 
preferred  the  manufactures  of  Europe  to  gold  and  silver,  and 
consequently  the  trade  was  generally  in  the  form  of  barter 
and  exchange.  In  addition  to  the  products  of  Farther  India 
which  we  have  mentioned  must  be  added  those  of  India 
Proper, — the  fabrics  of  Bengal,  the  pearls  of  Orissa,  the 
diamonds  of  Golconda,  the  cinnamon  of  Ceylon,  the  pepper  of 
Malabar. 

Thus,  not  only  thousands  of  laborers,  sailors,  conductors  of 
caravans,  saw  themselves  suddenly  deprived  of  their  livelihood 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  195 

by  this  diversion  of  the  traffic  into  the  hands  of  the  Portuguese, 
but  rich  cities  lost  their  revenues  and  princes  lost  their  tribute. 
While  the  Venetians  resolved  to  appeal  to  arms,  the  Sultan  of 
Egypt  addressed  a  protestation  to  Rome.  But  the  King  of 
Portugal  tranquillized  the  Pope  by  declaring  his  intention  of 
extending  the  jurisdiction  of  the  apostolic  faith,  and  he  prepared 
to  resist  violence  by  sending  out,  in  1507,  Don  Francesco  Al 
meida,  with  twenty-two  ships  and  fifteen  hundred  regular 
soldiers :  he  bestowed  upon  the  new  commander  the  title  of 
Viceroy  of  the  Indies.  Almeida  deposed  the  King  of  Quiloa, 
and  crowned  another  of  his  own  appointment ;  he  built  a  fort  in 
twenty  days,  garrisoned  it  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and 
left  a  brigantine  and  a  caravel  to  scour  and  protect  the  coast. 
He  bombarded  Mombassa,  killed  fifteen  hundred  men  and  lost 
five.  He  erected  forts  and  established  trading  stations  at 
Onor,  Cananor,  Surat  and  Calicut,  upon  the  Malabar  coast. 
To  the  important  point  of  Sofala,  upon  the  African  coast, 
Emmanuel  sent  a  distinct  expedition  of  six  ships,  under  Pedro 
da  Nayha  and  Juan  da  Quiros,  who  compelled  the  king  to  admit 
their  nation  to  a  share  in  the  famous  gold  mines  which  consti 
tuted  his  kingdom  and  his  wealth.  In  1508,  Lorenzo,  the  son 
of  Almeida,  while  chasing  the  flying  Moors  with  six  men-of- 
war,  discovered  the  island  of  Ceylon,  to  the  south  of  Hindostan. 
Here  he  found  the  Moors  and  natives  loading  vessels  with  ele 
phants  and  cinnamon. 

Again  King  Emmanuel,  drawing  upon  resources  which  seemed 
almost  inexhaustible,  sent  out  thirteen  vessels,  Avith  thirteen 
hundred  men,  under  Tristan  d'Acunha.  This  fleet  was  driven 
to  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  upon  the  way  thence  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  the  commander  discovered  the  islands  which  now 
bear  his  name.  He  burned  and  pillaged  the  town  of  Oja,  near 
Melinda ;  he  reduced  a  neighboring  shah  to  the  payment  of  an 
annual  tribute  of  six  hundred  golden  ducats.  His  soldiers 
would  not  give  the  captured  women  of  Brava  time  to  remove 


196  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

their  bracelets  and  ear-rings,  but  in  their  ruthless  haste  cut  off 
their  arms  and  ears. 

It  was  now  evident  to  the  King  of  Portugal  that  his  rule  in 
the  East  could  not  be  consolidated  and  extended  by  the  same 
means  which  had  obtained  him  his  first  foothold  upon  the 
coast, — chance,  intrepidity,  and  unscrupulous  violence.  What 
was  required  was  a  carefully  conceived  system  of  government, 
and  a  man  capable  of  administering  it.  Emmanuel's  choice  fell 
upon  Alphonzo  d' Albuquerque,  whose  services  in  the  East  had 
already  been  meritorious,  and  to  whom,  in  1509,  he  gave  the  title 
and  power  of  viceroy.  Albuquerque,  whose  courage  obtained  for 
him  the  name  of  the  Portuguese  Mars,  ranks,  by  his  talents,  his 
severe  virtues,  and  his  disinterested  zeal,  among  the  greatest 
men  whom  the  world  has  produced.  He  at  once  formed  the 
plan  of  founding  an  empire  which  -should  extend  from  the  Per 
sian  Gulf  to  the  peninsula  of  Malacca ;  and,  determining  to 
abandon  Calicut,  which  had  thus  far  been  looked  upon  as  the 
best  point  for  an  arsenal,  he  selected  the  island  of  Goa,  a  little 
to  the  north,  captured  it,  and  made  its  admirable  harbor  a  Por 
tuguese  roadstead  and  its  town  a  Portuguese  capital.  He  built 
bazaars  and  citadels  along  the  coast  from  north  to  south,  and 
then  turned  his  eyes  towards  Malacca, — a  magnificent  country, 
ruled  by  a  despot  and  inhabited  by  slaves.  As  we  have  said,  its 
principal  seaport  was  the  central  resort  of  the  ships  of  China. 
Japan,  Bengal,  the  Philippines  and  the  Moluccas,  Coromandel, 
Persia,  Arabia,  and  Malabar. 

The  Portuguese  had  first  visited  Malacca  two  years  pre 
viously,  Emmanuel  having  sent  one  Siguiera  to  make  a  treaty 
with  the  king.  He  had  been  perfidiously  treated,  and  Albuquer 
que  now,  in  1511,  appeared  before  the  city  to  call  the  monarch 
to  account.  A  long  and  obstinate  battle  resulted  in  the  defeat 
of  the  natives  and  the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  peninsula. 
The  Kings  of  Siam,  Sumatra,  and  Pegu  sent  ambassadors  to 
Albuquerque,  asking  the  honor  of  his  friendship.  He  built  a 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  197 

citadel  and  returned  to  Cochin.  But,  as  he  left  one  spot  to 
repair  to  another,  revolt  was  sure  to  follow ;  and,  as  the  Vene 
tians  now  joined  the  Moors  to  repel  the  Portuguese,  he  saw  that 
his  dominion  could  not  be  complete  till  he  controlled  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  city  of  Aden, 
in  Arabia,  was  the  key  to  the  Red  Sea,  commanding,  as  it  did, 
the  Straits  of  Babelmandel;  and  the  island  of  Ormuz  was  the 
key  to  the  Persian  Gulf.  He  failed  to  take  Aden,  but  he  suc 
ceeded  easily  with  Ormuz,  whose  king  acknowledged  himself 
the  vassal  of  Emmanuel.  Albuquerque  then  formed  a  gigantic 
plan  in  reference  to  the  Red  Sea.  Unable  to  command  it  by 
the  capture  of  Aden,  he  determined  to  ruin  Suez,  at  the  other 
extremity  of  the  sea,  by  forming  an  alliance  with  the  King  of 
Ethiopia,  and  inducing  that  monarch  to  dig  a  new  course  for  the 
Nile  and  make  it  empty  into  the  Red  Sea  instead  of  into  the 
Mediterranean,  thus  rendering  Egypt  uninhabitable  and  Suez 
desert.  The  invasion  of  Egypt  by  the  Turks,  however,  pre 
vented  the  accomplishment  of  this  undertaking.  Thus  the 
people  and  kings  of  the  East  everywhere  gave  way  before  the 
grand  plans  and  deeds  of  Albuquerque,  whom  they  both  feared 
for  his  energy  and  loved  for  his  justice.  When,  in  1515,  he 
died  at  Goa,  disgraced  by  his  king  and  worn  out  by  a  thankless 
service,  the  heathen  monarchs  wept  over  his  grave,  and  for 
many  years  went  in  pilgrimage  to  his  tomb,  asking  his  protec 
tion  against  the  cruelty  or  injustice  of  his  successors. 

The  Portuguese,  in  little  more  than  fifty  years  from  the  first 
expedition  of  Vasco  da  Gama,  had  established  an  empire  in 
these  seas  of  truly  wonderful  extent  and  power.  They  held 
exclusive  possession  of  the  Malabar  and  Coromandel  coasts  of 
India  Proper,  were  masters  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  ruled  the 
peninsula  of  Malacca,  and  held  tributary  the  islands  of  Ceylon, 
Sumatra,  Java,  and  the  Moluccas.  To  the  westward,  towards 
Africa,  their  authority  extended  as  far  as  the  Persian  boundary, 
and  over  all  the  islands  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  In  Arabia,  even, 


198  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

they  had  tributaries  and  allies,  and  no  Arabian  prince  dared 
confess  himself  their  enemy.  They  exercised  an  influence  in 
the  Red  Sea :  and  upon  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa,  they  were 
the  masters  of  Quiloa,  Sofala,  Mozambique,  and  Melinda. 

As  Albuquerque  had  foreseen,  Ormuz — from  its  fortunate 
situation,  as  an  emporium  of  trade,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Persian 
Gulf — became  the  most  important  of  the  Portuguese  conquests. 
The  island  was  by  nature  little  more  than  a  barren  rock,  and  was 
entirely  destitute  of  water.  Its  wealth  and  splendor,  however, 
during  the  period  of  its  commercial  supremacy,  gave  the  world 
an  example  of  the  power  of  trade  which  had  never  yet  been 
witnessed.  The  trading  season  lasted  from  January  to  March 
and  from  August  to  November :  during  these  months,  the  houses 
fronting  on  the  streets  were  opened  like  shops,  and  decorated  with 
piles  of  porcelain  and  Indian  curiosities,  and  perfumed  with 
fragrant  dwarf  shrubs  set  in  gilded  vases.  Camels  laden  with 
skins  of  water  stood  at  the  corners  of  the  streets.  The  richest 
wines  of  Persia  and  the  most  costly  odors  of  Asia  were  offered 
in  profusion  to  those  who  visited  the  city  to  trade.  Thick  awn 
ings  stretched  from  roof  to  roof  across  the  promenades,  ex 
cluding  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  luxury  and  magnificence 
of  the  place  seemed  to  flow  rather  from  the  lavish  extravagance 
of  an  idle  prince  than  from  the  legitimate  pomp  of  a  stirring 
and  active  commercial  population. 

In  1580,  Portugal  was  conquered  and  annexed  to  Spain,  and 
the  Portuguese  Empire  in  the  East  at  once  declined,  and  the 
Dutch  Empire  sprang  up  upon  its  ruins.  Ormuz  was  plundered 
by  the  Persians  and  English  united  in  1662 :  the  very  stones  of 
which  its  edifices  were  built  were  carried  away  as  ballast,  and 
it  speedily  sank  back  into  its  primitive  state — a  barren  and 
desolate  rock.  Hardly  a  vestige  of  the  proud  city  now  remains 
to  vindicate  history  in  its  record  that  here  once  stood  one  of 
the  most  famous  emporiums  of  commerce  and  most  frequented 
resorts  of  man. 


PONCE  DE  LEON  AND  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PONCE    DE    LEON — THE    FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH DISCOVERT  OF    FLORIDA THE    MAR 
TYRS   AND    THE  TORTUGAS — THE    BAHAMA    CHANNEL VASCO  NUNEZ  DE    BALBOA 

HE    GOES   TO    SEA    IN    A    BARREL MARRIES    A    LADY    OF    THE    ISTHMUS HIS 

SEARCH    FOR    GOLD HEARS    OF    A    MIGHTY    OCEAN UNDERTAKES    TO    REACH    IT 

— PREPARATIONS    FOR  THE  EXPEDITION LEONCICO    THE    BLOODHOUND BATTLE 

WITH     A     CACIQUE ASCENT     OF     THE      MOUNTAINS — BALBOA      MOUNTS      TO     THE 

SUMMIT    ALONE — THE    FIRST    SIGHT    OF    THE    PACIFIC CEREMONIES     OF    TAKING 

POSSESSION — BALBOA    UP    TO    HIS     KNEES    IN    THE    OCEAN EVERY    ONE    TASTES 

THE    WATER A    VOYAGE     UPON    THE     PACIFIC,    AND    A    NARROW    ESCAPE IGNO 
MINIOUS     FATE     OF     BALBOA JUAN     DIAZ    DE      SOLIS — DISCOVERS    THE    RIO    DE 

LA    PLATA HIS    HORRIBLE    DEATH    BY    CANNIBALS. 

WE  now  return,  in  due  chronological  progression,  to  the  dis 
coveries  of  the  Spaniards  in  the  West.  We  have  not  space  to 
describe,  or  even  to  mention,  all  the  successive  expeditions  made 
to  various  points  of  the  great  American  Continent :  we  select, 
therefore,  only  the  more  important  and  interesting  episodes 

among  the  Spanish  maritime  achievements.     Three  heroes  will 

199 


200  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

occupy  our  attention  from  1510  to  1514, — Ponce  de  Leon,  Juan 
Diaz  de  Solis,  and  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa. 

Juan  Ponce,  surnamed  de  Leon  from  his  native  province,  was 
one  of  the  Spanish  captains  who  emigrated  to  Hispaniola  shortly 
after  its  discovery  by  Columbus.  After  an  active  and  pros 
perous  career,  he  found  himself,  in  1510,  by  the  withdrawal  of 
the  king's  favor,  without  place  or  occupation.  He  was,  however, 
rich,  and  resolved  to  attempt  to  regain  his  credit  by  means  of 
discoveries.  He  was  avaricious,  too,  and  would  willingly  have 
augmented  his  already  large  possessions.  He  had  heard  from 
the  Indians  of  Cuba  of  the  existence,  to  the  north  of  His 
paniola,  of  an  island  named  Bimini,  where,  they  asserted,  was 
a  spring  whose  waters  had  the  virtue  of  restoring  youth  to 
the  aged  and  vigor  to  the  decrepit.  Ponce  thought  that  if 
he  could  discover  and  seize  this  fountain  it  would  be  an  inex 
haustible  source  of  revenue  to  him,  as  he  could  levy  a  tax 
upon  all  who  derived  benefit  from  its  influence.  He  deter 
mined  to  set  out  in  search  of  it,  and  fitted  out  two  stout  ships 
at  his  own  expense.  With  these  he  left  St.  Genevieve,  in  Porto 
Rico,  on  the  1st  of  March,  1512,  and  steered  boldly  through 
the  intricate  group  of  the  Lucayos.  Wherever  he  stopped,  he 
drank  of  all  the  running  streams  and  standing  pools,  whether 
their  waters  were  fresh  or  stagnant,  that  he  might  not  miss  the 
famous  spring.  He  inquired  of  all  the  natives  he  met  where  he 
could  find  the  wondrous  Fountain  of  Youth. 

At  last  he  discovered  a  land  till  then  unknown  to  Europeans. 
Early  in  April,  and  in  Easter  week,  he  touched  what  he  sup 
posed  was  an  island,  but  what  in  reality  was  a  portion  of  the 
continent.  As  the  landscape  was  covered  with  flowers,  he  named 
the  spot  "Florida."  He  had  several  severe  fights  with  the  In 
dians,  one  of  whom  he  made  prisoner,  that  he  might  learn  Span 
ish  and  give  him  information  concerning  the  country.  He  now 
sailed  to  the  south  and  doubled  Cape  Florida  on  the  8th  of  May, 
which,  on  account  of  the  currents,  he  named  Cabo  de  las  Corri- 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  201 

entes.  On  the  15th,  he  sailed  along  a  line  of  small  islands  as  far 
as  two  white  ones,  and  called  the  whole  group  Los  Martyros,  or 
The  Martyrs,  from  the  high  rocks  at  a  distance  which  had 
the  appearance  of  men  undergoing  crucifixion.  The  name 
was  singularly  applicable,  for  the  large  number  of  seamen 
who  have  since  been  wrecked  upon  these  islands  has  made  them 
in  reality  a  place  of  martyrdom.  He  discovered  another  group 
to  the  southwest,  which  he  called  the  Tortugas,  as  his  men  took 
one  hundred  and  seventy  tortoises  upon  one  of  them  in  a  short 
time,  and  might  have  had  more  if  they  would.  Ponce  de  Leon 
continued  ranging  about  here  till  September,  when  he  returned 
to  Porto  Rico,  sending  one  of  his  ships  to  Bimini — the  smallest 
of  the  Bahamas — to  see  if  he  could  discover  the  spring.  The 
vessel  went  and  returned,  the  captain,  Perez  de  Ortubia,  re 
porting  that  the  island  was  pleasantly  diversified  with  hills, 
groves,  and  rivers,  but  that  none  of  the  latter  possessed  any  un 
usual  charm. 

One  great  advantage  which  resulted  from  the  voyage  of  Ponce 
de  Leon  was  the  discovery,  by  his  second  captain,  Ortubia,  of 
the  passage  now  known  as  the  Bahama  Channel,  by  which  ships 
bound  from  Havana  to  Spain  pass  out  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
This  new  passage  became  the  universal  track  even  during  Ponce 
de  Leon's  life.  Upon  his  return  to  court,  he  was  well  rewarded 
for  his  discoveries  both  by  land  and  sea,  but  his  gathering  years 
caused  him  often  to  regret  that  he  had  missed  the  Fountain  of 
Youth. 

We  have  now  to  relate  the  manner  in  which  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
which  had  rolled  for  centuries  in  its  accustomed  bed,  unknown 
to  Europeans,  was  first  seen  by  Continental  eyes.  The  islands 
discovered  by  Columbus  were  still  under  the  exclusive  dominion 
of  the  Spaniards ;  Hispaniola  was  the  central  point  of  their 
operations  of  discovery  and  conquest.  Settled  here,  upon  a 
farm,  was  a  man,  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  named  Vasco  Nunez 
de  Balboa.  He  was  a  native  of  Xeres,  in  Spain,  and  had 


202  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

eagerly  enlisted  in  the  late  voyages  of  adventure.  He  was 
known  to  be  a  mere  soldier  of  fortune,  and  of  loose,  prodigal 
habits,  and  is  described  as  an  "egregius  digladiator,"  or  adroit 
swordsman.  His  farm  had  involved  him  in  debt ;  and,  to  escape 
his  embarrassments  and  elude  his  creditors,  he  caused  himself,  in 
1511,  to  be  nailed  up  in  a  cask,  to  be  labelled  "  victuals  for  the 
voyage,"  and  to  be  conveyed  on  board  a  ship  starting  upon  an 
expedition  to  the  mainland.  When  the  vessel  was  out  of  sight 
of  the  shore,  he  emerged  from  the  cask,  and  appeared  before 
the  surprised  captain,  Hernandez  de  Enciso.  Being  tall  and 
muscular,  evidently  inured  to  hardships  and  of  intrepid  disposi 
tion,  he  found  favor  with  the  captain,  especially  when  he  told 
him  that  a  venerable  priest  had  asserted  "that  God  reserved  him 
for  great  things." 

In  the  course  of  two  years,  Balboa  had  acquired  authority 
over  a  tract  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and  had  married  the 
young  and  beautiful  daughter  of  the  Cacique  of  Coyba.  After 
a  victory  obtained  over  one  of  the  neighboring  monarchs, 
from  whom  four  thousand  ounces  of  gold  and  a  quantity  of 
golden  utensils  had  been  extorted,  Balboa  ordered  one-fifth 
to  be  set  apart  for  himself  and  the  rest  to  be  shared  among 
his  followers.  While  the  Spaniards  were  dividing  it  by  weight, 
a  dispute  arose  respecting  the  fairness  of  the  award,  when  the 
Indian  who  had  given  the  gold  spoke  to  the  disputants  as 
follows  : 

"Why  should  you  quarrel  for  such  a  trifle  ?  If  gold  is  to  you 
so  precious  that  you  abandon  your  homes  for  it  and  invade  the 
peaceful  lands  of  others,  I  will  tell  you  of  a  region  where  you 
may  gratify  your  wishes  to  the  utmost.  Beyond  those  lofty  moun 
tains  lies  a  mighty  sea,  which  from  their  summits  may  be  easily 
discerned.  It  is  navigated  by  people  who  have  vessels  almost 
as  large  as  yours,  and,  like  them,  furnished  with  sails  and  oars. 
All  the  streams  which  flow  from  these  mountains  into  the  sea 
abound  in  gold :  the  kings  who  reign  upon  its  borders  eat  and 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


203 


drink  out  of  golden  vessels.     Gold,  in  fact,  is  as  common  there 
as  iron  among  you  Spaniards." 

Fired  by  this  discourse,  Balboa  inquired  whether  it  would  be 
difficult  to  penetrate  to  this  sea  and  its  golden  shores.  "  The 
task,"  the  prince  replied,  "is  arduous  and  dangerous.  Power 
ful  caciques  will  oppose  you  with  their  warriors ;  fierce  canni 
bals  will  attack  you,  and  devour  those  whom  they  kill.  To 


BALBOA     AND     THE     INDIAN. 


accomplish  your  enterprise,  you  will  require  at  least  a  thousand 
men,  armed  like  those  you  have  with  you  now."  To  prove  his 
sincerity,  the  prince  offered  to  accompany  Balboa  upon  the  ex 
pedition,  at  the  head  of  his  warriors.  This  was  the  first  in 
timation  received  by  a  European  of  the  splendid  expanse  of 
water  which  was  so  soon  to  receive  the  name  of  Pacific.  It 
exerted  an  immediate  and  radical  change  upon  the  character 
and  conduct  of  Balboa.  The  soldier  of  fortune  became  ani 
mated  by  an  honorable  and  controlling  ambition ;  the  restless 
and  reckless  desperado  saw  before  him  a  glorious  path  to  immor 
tality.  He  baptized  the  prince  who  had  given  him  information 


204  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

so  priceless,  and  proceeded  to  Darien  to  obtain  the  means  of 
accomplishing  his  scheme. 

For  a  long  time  he  was  baffled.  A  terrific  tempest  laid  waste 
the  fields  and  devastated  the  harvests.  He  sent  to  Hispaniola 
for  men  and  provisions ;  but  the  emissary  was  wrecked  upon  the 
coast  of  Jamaica.  He  wrote  to  Don  Diego  Columbus,  who 
governed  at  San  Domingo,  informing  him  of  the  existence  of  a 
new  ocean,  bordered  with  shores  of  gold,  and  asking  for  a  thou 
sand  men  with  whom  to  prosecute  its  discovery.  He  forwarded 
the  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  crowns  in  gold,  to  be  transmitted  to 
the  king  as  his  royal  fifths.  Many  of  his  followers,  too,  sent 
sums  intended  for  their  creditors  in  Spain. 

While  waiting  for  a  reply,  Balboa  learned  indirectly  that  he 
had  fallen  into  disfavor  with  the  king.  One  brilliant  achieve 
ment  might  restore  him  to  consideration  and  forever  fix  him  in 
the  good  graces  of  the  monarch.  He  chose  one  hundred  and 
ninety  of  the  most  vigorous  and  resolute  of  his  men,  and  took 
with  him  a  number  of  bloodhounds.  His  own  peculiar  body 
guard  was  a  dog  named  Leoncico,-^one  of  the  numerous  progeny 
sired  by  the  famous  warrior-dog  of  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon.  Leon- 
cico  was  covered  with  scars  received  in  his  innumerable  fights 
with  the  natives.  Balboa  often  lent  him  to  others,  and  received 
for  his  services  the  same  share  of  booty  an  able-bodied  man 
would  have  claimed.  Leoncico  had  earned  for  his  master  in 
this  way  several  thousands  of  dollars. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1513,  Balboa  embarked  with  his 
followers  in  a  light  brigantine  and  nine  canoes,  and  ascended  a 
stream  which  was  navigable  as  far  as  Coyba.  Here  he  received 
accessions  of  men,  and,  having  sent  back  those  who  were  ill 
or  disabled,  prepared  to  penetrate  the  wilderness  on  foot.  In 
a  battle  with  a  cacique  named  Quaragua,  he  slew  six  hundred 
of  the  natives.  Some  were  transfixed  with  lances,  others  hewn 
down  with  swords,  and  others  torn  to  pieces  by  the  bloodhounds. 
He  advanced  hardly  seven  miles  a  day,  but  at  last  reached  a 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


205 


village  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  that  commanded  the 
long  wished  for  prospect.  Only  sixty-seven  men  out  of  two 
hundred  remained  to  make  this  last  grand  effort.  Balboa 
ordered  them  to  retire  early  to  repose,  that  they  might  be  ready 
at  the  cool  hour  of  dawn.  They  set  forth  at  daybreak  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  of  September.  In  a  short  time  they 
emerged  from  the  forests,  and  arrived  at  the  upper  regions  of 
the  mountain,  leaving  the  bald  summit  still  to  be  ascended. 
Balboa  ordered  them  to  halt,  that  he  might  himself  be  alone 
to  enjoy  the  scene  and  the  first  to  discover  the  ocean.  He 
reached  the  peak,  and  there  the  magnificent  sight  burst  upon  his 
view.  The  water  was  still  at  the  distance  of  two  days'  journey  ; 
but  there  it  lay,  beyond  the  intervening  space,  grand,  bound 
less,  and  serene.  He  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  returned  thanks 


BALBOA     DISCOVERING     THE     PACIFIC     OCEAN. 


to  God.  He  summoned  his  followers  to  ascend,  and  thus  ad 
dressed  them: — "Behold,  my  friends,"  he  said,  "the  glorious 
sight  which  we  have  so  ardently  longed  for.  Let  us  pray  to 
God  that  he  will  aid  and  guide  us  to  conquer  the  sea  and  land 
which  we  have  discovered,  and  in  which  no  Christian  has  ever 
entered  to  preach  the  holy  doctrine  of  the  Evangelists.  By  the 
favor  of  Christ  you  will  thus  become  the  richest  Spaniards  that 
have  ever  come  to  the  Indies."  The  priest  attached  to  the 
expedition  chanted  that  impressive  anthem,  the  Te  Deum ;  and 
the  Spaniards,  in  whom  religious  fervor  and  the  thirst  for  pillage 


206  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

seemed  to  be  mingled  in  equal  proportions,  joined  in  the  chorus 
with  heart  and  voice. 

Balboa  now  called  upon  all  present  to  witness  that  he  took 
possession  of  the  sea,  its  islands  and  surrounding  lands,  in  the 
name  of  the  sovereigns  of  Castile ;  and  the  notary  of  the  expe 
dition  made  a  record  to  that  effect,  to  which  all  present,  to  the 
number  of  sixty-seven  men,  signed  their  names.  Balboa  then 
caused  a  tall  tree  to  be  cut  down  and  fashioned  into  the  form  of 
a  cross :  this  he  erected  on  the  spot  whence  he  had  first  beheld 
the  ocean.  A  mound  of  stone  was  likewise  piled  up  as  a  monu 
ment,  and  the  names  of  Ferdinand  and  Juana  were  carved  upon 
the  neighboring  trees. 

A  scouting  party  under  Alonzo  Martin,  sent  by  Balboa  to 
discover  the  best  route  to  the  sea,  came  after  two  days'  journey 
to  a  beach,  upon  which  were  two  canoes,  stranded  as  it  were, 
and  apparently  out  of  the  reach  of  water.  But  the  tide  soon 
came  rushing  in,  and  floated  them ;  upon  which  Alonzo  Martin 
stepped  into  one  of  them,  and  was  thus  the  first  European  who 
embarked  upon  the  ocean  which  Balboa  had  discovered  and  which 
Magellan  was  to  name.  Balboa  soon  arrived  upon  the  coast : 
the  tide  had  ebbed,  and  the  water  was  nearly  two  miles  distant. 
But  it  soon  returned,  invading  the  place  where  the  Spaniards 
were  seated.  Upon  this  Balboa  arose,  and,  taking  a  banner 
representing  the  Virgin  and  Child  and  bearing  the  arms  of 
Castile  and  Leon,  marched  knee-deep  into  the  water,  and,  waving 
the  flag,  pronounced  the  following  act  of  taking  possession : 

"Long  live  the  high  and  mighty  monarchs  Don  Ferdinand 
and  Donna  Juana,  sovereigns  of  Castile,  Leon,  and  Aragon,  in 
whose  name  I  take  real  and  actual  and  corporeal  possession  of 
these  seas,  and  lands,  and  coasts,  and  ports,  and  islands  of  the 
South,  and  all  thereunto  annexed ;  and  of  the  kingdoms  and  pro 
vinces  which  do  or  may  appertain  to  them  in  whatever  manner 
or  by  whatever  right  or  title,  ancient  or  modern,  in  times  past, 
present,  or  to  come,  without  any  contradiction ;  and  if  other 


BALBCA     TAKING     POSSESSION     OF     THE     PACIFIC     OCEAN. 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  207 

prince  or  captain,  Christian  or  infidel,  or  if  any  law,  condition, 
or  sect  whatsoever,  shall  pretend  any  right  to  these  lands  and 
seas,  I  am  ready  to  maintain  and  defend  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Castilian  sovereigns,  whose  is  the  empire  and  dominion  over 
these  Indies,  islands,  and  terra  firma,  Northern  and  Southern, 
with  all  their  seas,  both  at  the  Arctic  and  Antartic  poles,  on 
either  side  of  the  equinoctial  line,  whether  within  or  without  the 
tropics  of  Cancer  and  Capricorn,  both  now  and  in  all  time,  as 
long  as  the  world  endure,  and  until  the  final  day  of  judgment 
of  all  mankind." 

As  may  be  supposed,  no  one  appeared  to  dispute  these  for 
midable  pretensions,  and  no  champion  entered  the  lists  in  behalf 
of  the  original  owners  of  the  seas,  islands,  and  surrounding 
lands  in  question ;  so  that  Balboa  called  upon  his  companions  to 
bear  witness  that  he  had  duly  and  uninterruptedly  taken  posses 
sion.  The  notary  drew  up  the  necessary  legal  document,  which 
was  signed  by  all  present.  Then  they  all  tasted  the  water, 
which,  from  its  saltness,  they  felt  assured  was  the  ocean.  Bal 
boa  carved  a  cross  on  a  tree  whose  roots  were  below  high-water 
mark,  and,  lopping  off  a  branch  with  his  sword,  bore  it  away  as 
a  trophy. 

Balboa  now  wished  to  perform  a  voyage  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  new-found  ocean.  In  spite  of  the  advice  of  friendly  In 
dians,  who  represented  the  season  as  stormy,  he  embarked  with 
sixty  of  his  men  in  nine  canoes.  A  tempest  compelled  them  to 
seek  refuge  upon  an  island.  In  the  night  the  tide  completely 
submerged  it,  and  rose  to  the  girdles  of  the  Spaniards.  Their 
canoes  were  broken  to  pieces,  and  at  low  tide  they  managed 
with  great  difficulty  to  effect  their  escape  to  the  mainland. 
After  numerous  forays  against  the  caciques  ruling  the  neigh 
boring  tribes,  Balboa  arrived  at  the  Darien  River,  on  the  19th 
of  January,  1514,  after  having  accomplished  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  feats  on  record,  and  after  an  expedition  which  must 
ever  be  memorable  among  deeds  of  intrepidity  and  adventure. 


208  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

The  king  created  him  Adelantado  of  the  South  Sea,  and  Go 
vernor  of  Panama  and  Coyba,  but  subject  to  Pedrarias,  the 
Governor  of  Darien.  The  latter  regarded  him  as  his  rival, 
and,  by  a  successful  series  of  treacherous  arts,  brought  against 
him  a  well-contrived  charge  of  treason  to  the  king.  He  was 
reluctantly  found  guilty  by  the  alcalde,  and  by  Pedrarias  con 
demned  to  be  beheaded,  as  a  traitor  and  usurper  of  the  terri 
tories  of  the  crown.  The  execution  took  place  in  the  public 
square  of  a  small  town  near  Darien,  and  was  witnessed  by 
Pedrarias  from  between  the  reeds  of  the  wall  of  a  house  some 
twelve  paces  from  the  scaffold.  Balboa  and  four  of  his  officers 
were  beheaded  in  quick  succession  during  the  brief  twilight  of  a 
tropical  evening.  Pedrarias  confiscated  Balboa's  property,  and 
ordered  his  head  to  be  impaled  upon  a  pole  and  exposed  upon 
the  public  square  till  decomposition  should  ensue. 

Thus  perished,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years, — the  victim  of  the 
meanest  envy  and  the  most  odious  treachery, — a  man  who  will 
be  ever  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  the  early 
discoverers.  Events  transformed  him  from  a  rash  and  turbulent 
adventurer  into  a  discreet  and  patriotic  captain ;  and,  from  the 
moment  when  he  felt  that  he  had  drawn  the  attention  of  the 
world  upon  him,  his  conduct  was  that  of  a  man  born  and  pre 
destined  to  greatness.  He  fell  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory,  a 
worthy  cotemporary  of  Columbus,  da  Gama,  and  Magellan. 

Juan  Diaz  de  Solis,  who,  with  Yanez  Pinzon,  Amerigo  Ves 
pucci,  and  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  the  pilot  of  Columbus,  was  a  member 
of  the  Spanish  council  appointed  to  deliberate  upon  discoveries 
yet  to  be  made,  sailed  to  South  America  in  1514,  and,  doubling 
Capes  St.  Roque,  St.  Augustin,  and  Frio,  entered  the  bay  upon 
which  now  stands  the  city  of  Rio  Janeiro,  and  was  probably  the 
first  European  to  set  foot  upon  the  coast  thus  far  to  the  south. 
He  supposed  the  bay  to  be  the  mouth  of  a  passage  through  to 
the  South  Sea  so  lately  discovered  by  Balboa.  He  proceeded 
to  the  south,  ascertaining  the  position  of  every  headland  and 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


209 


indentation  with  all  the  precision  the  instruments  and  science  of 
the  time  would  permit.  At  last  he  found  a  great  opening  of 
the  sea  towards  the  west:  he  took  possession  of  the  northern 
coast  for  the  King  of  Spain,  and  named  the  gulf  Fresh-Water 
Sea.  Subsequently,  finding  that  it  was  a  river,  and  that  silver- 
mines  existed  there,  he  named  the  stream  Rio  de  la  Plata.  The 
Indians  called  it  Paraguaza.  He  found  the  country  fertile  and 
attractive,  and  an  abundance  of  the  wood  which  had  given  to 
the  whole  region  the  name  of  Brazil.  He  went  on  shore  with  a 
small  party,  but  soon  fell  into  an  ambuscade  laid  for  them  by 


FATE    OF   DE   SOUS   AND   HIS   COMPANIONS. 


the  natives.  Soils  and  five  of  his  companions  were  taken, 
killed,  roasted,  and  devoured  by  the  horrible  cannibals  who  in 
habited  the  country.  The  Spaniards  who  remained  on  board 
the  ships  witnessed  the  shocking  catastrophe,  which  so  appalled 
and  horrified  them  that  they  fled  in  dismay  and  sailed  hastily 

back  to  Spain. 

14 


FERDINAND     MAGELLAN. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

REMARKABLE  FORESIGHT  OF  THE  COURT  OF  ROME A  PAPAL  BULL FERDINAND 

MAGELLAN HE  OFFERS  HIS   SERVICES  TO   SPAIN HIS   PLANS HIS   FLEET 

PIGAFETTA  THE  HISTORIAN AN    INAUSPICIOUS    START TENERIFFE   AND   ITS 

LEGENDS ST.  ELMO'S  FIRE THE  CREW  MAKE  FAMOUS   BARGAINS  WITH   THE 

CANNIBALS HEAVY    PRICE    PAID    FOR    THE   KING   OF    SPADES PATAGONIAN 

GIANTS — PIGAFETTA'S   EXAGGERATIONS — THE   HEALING  ART  IN   PATAGONIA — 

THE  TRAGEDY  OF  PORT  JULIAN DISCOVERY  OF  A  STRAIT THE  OPEN  SEA 

CAPE  DESEADO THE  OCEAN  NAMED  PACIFIC RAVAGES   OF   THE    SCURVY A 

PATAGONIAN    PAUL THE    NEEDLE   BECOMES   LETHARGIC DISCOVERY  OF  THE 

LADRONES — THE   FIRST  COCOANUT — A  CATHOLIC    CEREMONY   UPON    A   PAGAN 

ISLAND. 

THE   Pope   of  Rome,   whose   authority  was  at   this   period 
supreme  among  the  princes  who  were  in  communion  with  the 

Church,  now  thought  proper  to  anticipate  a  possible  collision 
210 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  211 

between  Spain  and  Portugal,  the  two  monopolists  of  commerce 
and  discovery.  He  declared  by  a  bull,  or  papal  decree,  that  all 
new  countries  which  should  be  thereafter  discovered  to  the  east 
of  the  Azores  were  to  belong  to  the  crown  of  Portugal,  while 
all  that  were  discovered  to  the  west  should  be  the  property  of 
Spain.  Thus,  a  potentate  who  claimed  to  be  infallible  issued  a 
decree  based  upon  the  pontifical  conviction  that  the  world  was 
flat,  even  after  the  very  solid  arguments  to  the  contrary  of 
Columbus  and  da  Gama.  His  Holiness,  in  his  wisdom,  imagined 
that  one  nation  might  sail  to  the  right,  the  other  to  the  left,  and 
go  on  forever  :  he  did  not  foresee,  what  was  now  almost  palpable 
to  every  eye  but  that  of  Roman  infallibility,  that  the  Spaniards 
and  the  Portuguese  would  at  last  meet  at  the  antipodes.  There, 
in  time,  they  did  meet,  and  the  very  pretty  dispute  which  arose 
in  consequence  we  shall  narrate  in  the  sequel.  But  a  more 
immediate  effect  of  the  decree  was  this : — a  Spaniard,  if  he  felt 
himself  neglected  or  maltreated  by  his  own  sovereign,  would 
offer  his  services  to  the  Portuguese  king,  confident  of  employment 
at  his  hands,  as  the  latter  would  thus  weaken  Spain  and  profit 
by  discoveries  made  by  her  subjects.  A  Portuguese,  if  similarly 
aggrieved,  would  in  the  same  way  desert  to  the  Spanish  king 
and  accept  service  from  the  Spanish  crown. 

It  so  happened  that  one  Fernao  Magalhaens,  known  in 
English  as  Ferdinand  Magellan,  a  Portuguese  by  birth,  and 
•who  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  East  Indies  under  Albu 
querque,  addressed  himself  to  the  court  of  Lisbon  for  the  re 
compense  which  was  his  due.  His  application  was  treated  with 
disdain.  He  forthwith  withdrew  to  Spain  with  a  learned  man 
who  had  been  similarly  neglected,  one  Ruy  Falero,  an  astronomer, 
whom  the  Portuguese  regarded  as  a  conjurer  and  charlatan. 
Magellan  made  overtures  for  new  discoveries  to  Cardinal 
Ximenes,  then  Prime  Minister  of  Spain,  and  in  reality  its  ruler 
during  the  absence  of  Charles  V.  The  Portuguese  ambassador 
sought  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  baffle  his  designs,  and 


212  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

demanded  of  the  court  that  he  and  Falero  should  be  given  up 
as  deserters.  He  even  offered  Magellan  a  reward  if  he  would 
desist  from  his  purpose,  or,  at  least,  execute  it  in  the  service  of 
Portugal.  But  the  cardinal  listened  with  favor  to  the  plan 
presented  by  Magellan,  which  was  briefly  as  follows : 

Columbus,  who  started  upon  his  voyage  to  the  west  in  order 
to  reach  the  East  Indies  by  a  western  route,  had  failed  in  his 
object,  discovering  instead  an  intermediate  continent.  Magellan 
now  proposed  to  seek  the  Portuguese  Moluccas,  or  Spice  Islands, 
by  sailing,  if  possible,  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  into  the  South 
Sea,  discovered  by  Balboa  five  years  before.  His  idea  was  to 
attempt  to  find  a  passage  through  the  mainland  of  South  Ame 
rica  by  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  or  some  other  channel  opening  upon 
its  eastern  coast.  Should  this  succeed,  Spain  would  possess  the 
East  Indies  as  well  as  the  West,  since,  if  the  Moluccas  were 
discovered  by  way  of  the  west,  even  though  situated  to  the  east, 
they  would  fall  expressly  within  the  allotment  made  by  the  late 
papal  bull.  Magellan  thought  the  world  was  round,  in  defiance 
of  the  pontifical  declaration  that  it  was  flat. 

In  accordance  with  this  proposal,  the  Spanish  crown  agreed  to 
equip  a  fleet  of  five  vessels  and  to  give  the  command  of  it  to 
Magellan.  It  was  furthermore  agreed  that  he  should  have  a 
twentieth  part  of  the  clear  profit  of  the  expedition,  and  that 
the  government  of  any  islands  he  might  discover  should  be 
vested  in  him  and  his  heirs  forever,  with  the  title  of  Adelantado. 
The  five  vessels  were  accordingly  fitted  out  at  Seville,  Magellan's 
flag-ship*  being  named  the  Trinidada.  They  were  manned  by 
two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  men,  thirty  of  whom  were  able- 
bodied  Portuguese  seamen,  upon  whom  Magellan  principally 
relied.  The  astronomer  Falero  declined  accompanying  him, 
having,  in  his  astrological  calculations,  foreseen  that  the  voyage 
would  be  fatal  to  him.  A  certain  San  Martino,  of  Seville,  who 
went  in  his  stead,  was,  as  will  be  seen,  assassinated  in  his  place  at 
the  island  of  Zubu.  An  Italian  gentleman,  named  Pigafetta,  was 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  213 

permitted  by  the  cardinal  to  form  part  of  Magellan's  suite.  He 
afterwards  became  the  historian  of  the  voyage. 

The  fleet  set  sail  from  Seville  on  the  10th  of  August,  1519, 
its  departure  being  announced  by  a  discharge  of  artillery. 
Seville  is  nearly  one  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  by  the  river 
Guadalquivir,  the  seaport  of  which  is  San  Lucar,  whence  they 
finally  departed  on  the  20th  of  September.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  imagine  circumstances  more  inauspicious  than  those  under 
which  Magellan  left  the  shores  of  Europe.  The  course  he  was 
to  follow  was  unexplored :  so  rash  was  the  attempt  considered, 
that  he  dared  not  communicate  to  his  men  the  real  object  of  the 
expedition.  The  season  was  already  advanced,  and  he  would  in 
all  probability  arrive  in  high  southern  latitudes  at  the  coldest 
period  of  the  year.  To  the  perils  naturally  incident  to  such  a 
voyage  was  to  be  added  the  unfortunate  fact  that  the  commanders 
of  the  other  four  ships  were  Spaniards,  and  consequently  inimi 
cal  to  Magellan,  who,  though  in  the  service  of  Spain,  was  of 
Portuguese  birth. 

In  six  days  the  squadron  reached  Teneriffe  ;  of  this  island 
Pigafetta  relates  several  curious  legends  current  at  that  time. 
It  never  rained  there,  he  says,  and  there  was  neither  river  nor 
spring  in  the  island.  The  leaves  of  a  tree,  however,  which  was 
constantly  surrounded  by  a  thick  mist,  distilled  excellent  water, 
which  was  collected  in  a  pit  at  its  foot,  whither  the  inhabitants 
and  wild  beasts  repaired  to  quench  their  thirst.  Early  in 
October  the  fleet  passed  between  Cape  Verd  and  its  islands,  and 
coasted  along  the  shores  of  Guinea  and  Sierra  Leone.  Here 
they  met  with  contrary  winds,  sharks,  and  dead  calms.  One 
dark  night,  during  a  violent  tempest,  the  St.  Elmo  fire  blazed 
for  two  hours  upon  their  topmast.  This,  which  is  now  known  to 
be  an  effect  of  electricity,  which  the  ancient  idolaters  believed 
to  be  Castor  and  Pollux,  which  Catholics  in  Magellan's  time 
regarded  as  a  saint,  and  which  English  sailors  call  Davy  Jones, 
was  a  great  consolation  to  the  Portuguese  during  the  storm. 


214  MAN    1JPON   THE    SEA. 

At  the  moment  when  it  disappeared  it  diffused  a  light  so  re 
splendent  that  Pigafetta  was  almost  blinded  and  gave  himself 
up  for  lost;  but,  he  adds,  "the  wind  ceased  momentaneously." 

Passing  the  equinoctial  line  and  losing  sight  of  the  polar  star, 
Magellan  steered  south-southwest,  and  in  the  middle  of  De 
cember  struck  the  coast  of  Brazil.  His  men  made  excellent 
bargains  with  the  natives.  For  a  small  comb  they  obtained  two 
geese ;  for  a  piece  of  glass,  as  much  fish  as  would  feed  ten  men ; 
for  a  ribbon,  a  basket  of  potatoes, — a  root  then  so  little  known 
that  Pigafetta  describes  it  as  resembling  a  turnip  in  appearance 
and  a  roasted  chestnut  in  taste.  A  pack  of  playing-cards  was 
a  fortune,  for  a  sailor  bought  six  fat  chickens  with  the  king  of 
spades.  The  fleet  remained  thirteen  days  at  anchor,  and  then 
pursued  its  way  to  the  southward  along  the  territory  of  the  can 
nibals  who  had  lately  devoured  de  Solis.  Stopping  at  an  island 
in  the  mouth  of  a  river  sixty  miles  wide,  they  caught,  in  one 
hour,  penguins  sufficient  for  the  whole  five  ships.  Magellan 
anchored  for  the  winter  in  a  harbor  found  in  south  latitude  49° 
and  called  by  him  Port  Julian.  Two  months  elapsed  before  the 
country  was  discovered  to  be  inhabited.  At  last  a  man  of 
gigantic  figure  presented  himself  upon  the  shore,  capering  in 
the  sands  in  a  state  of  utter  nudity,  and  violently  casting  dust 
upon  his  head.  A  sailor  was  sent  ashore  to  make  similar  ges 
tures,  and  the  giant  was  thus  easily  led  to  the  spot  where  Ma 
gellan  had  landed.  The  latter  gave  him  cooked  food  to  eat  and 
presented  him,  incidentally,  with  a  large  steel  mirror.  The 
savage  now  saw  his  likeness  for  the  first  time,  and  started  back 
in  such  fright  that  he  knocked  over  four  men.  He  and  several 
of  his  companions,  both  men  and  women,  subsequently  went  on 
board  the  ships,  and  constantly  indicated  by  their  gestures  that 
they  supposed  the  strangers  to  have  descended  from  heaven. 
One  of  the  savages  became  quite  a  favorite :  he  was  taught  to 
pronounce  the  name  of  Jesus  and  to  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer, 
and  was  even  baptized  by  the  name  of  John  by  the  chaplain. 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  215 

This  profession  of  Christianity  did  the  poor  pagan  no  good,  for 
he  soon  disappeared, — murdered,  doubtless,  by  his  people,  in 
consequence  of  his  attachment  to  the  foreigners. 

The  whole  description  given  by  Pigafetta  of  these  savages, 
whom  Magellan  called  Patagonians, — from  words  indicating  the 
resemblance  of  their  feet,  when  shod  with  the  skin  of  the  lama, 
to  the  feet  of  a  bear, — is  now  known  to  be  much  exaggerated. 
It  is  certain  that  they  were  by  no  means  so  gigantic  as  he 
represented  them.  He  adds  that  they  drank  half  a  pail  of  water 
at  a  draught,  fed  upon  raw  meat,  and  swallowed  mice  alive ;  that 
when  they  were  sick  and  needed  bleeding  they  gave  a  good 
chop  with  some  edged  tool  to  the  part  affected;  when  they 
wished  to  vomit  they  thrust  an  arrow  half  a  yard  down  their 
throat.  The  headache  was  cured  by  a  gash  in  the  forehead. 

A  fearful  tragedy  was  enacted  in  Port  Julian.  The  four 
Spanish  captains  conspired  to  murder  Magellan.  The  plot  was 
discovered  and  the  ringleaders  were  brought  to  trial.  Two  were 
hung,  another  was  stabbed  to  the  heart,  while  a  number  of  their 
accomplices  were  left  among  the  Patagonians.  Magellan  quitted 
Port  Julian  in  August,  1520,  having  planted  a  cross  on  a  neigh 
boring  mountain  and  taken  solemn  possession  of  the  country  in 
the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain.  On  the  14th  of  September,  he 
discovered  a  fresh- water  river,  which  he  named  Santa  Cruz,  in 
honor  of  the  anniversary  of  the  exaltation  of  the  cross.  Here 
the  crew,  by  Magellan's  order,  made  confession  and  received  the 
holy  communion. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  Magellan  made  the  great  discovery 
which  has  immortalized  his  name.  He  reached  a  strait  commu 
nicating  between  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  South  Sea:  con 
sulting  the  calendar  for  a  name,  he  called  it  in  honor  of  the 
day,  the  Strait  of  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins.  It  is  now 
Magellan's  Strait.  It  was  enclosed  between  lofty  mountains 
covered  with  snow ;  the  water  was  so  deep  that  it  afforded  no 
anchorage.  The  crew  were  so  fully  persuaded  that  it  possessed 


"2lb  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

no  western  outlet,  that,  had  it  not  been  for  Magellan's  confidence 
and  persistence,  they  would  never  have  ventured  to  explore  it. 
The  strait  was  found  to  vary  in  breadth  from  one  mile  to  ten, 
and  to  be  four  hundred  and  forty  miles  in  length.  During  the 
first  night  spent  in  the  strait,  the  Santo  Antonio,  piloted  by  one 


CAPE  VIRGIN— THE   EAST   ENTRANCE   OF   MAGELLAN'S  STRAIT. 

Emmanuel  Gomez,  who  hated  Magellan,  found  her  way  back 
into  the  Atlantic,  and  returned  at  once  to  Spain.  The  pilot's 
object  was  principally  to  be  the  first  to  tell  the  news  of  the  dis 
covery,  and  to  carry  to  Europe  a  specimen  of  a  Patagonian 
giant,  one  of  whom  he  had  on  board  of  his  vessel.  On  his  way 
he  stopped  at  Port  Julian  and  took  up  two  of  the  conspirators 
who  had  been  abandoned  there.  The  Patagonian  was  unable  to 
bear  the  change  of  climate,  and  died  of  the  heat  on  crossing  the 
line. 

One  of  Magellan's  remaining  four  vessels  was  sent  on  in 
advance  of  the  others  to  reconnoitre  a  cape  which  seemed  to 
terminate  the  channel.  The  vessel  returned,  announcing  that 
the  strait  indeed  terminated  at  this  cape  and  that  beyond  lay 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  217 

the  open  sea.  "We  wept  for  joy,"  says  Pigafetta:  "the  cape  was 
denominated  Cabo  Deseado, — Wished-for  Cape, — for  in  good 
truth  we  had  long  wished  to  see  it."  The  sight  gave  Magellan 
the  most  unbounded  joy,  for  he  was  now  able  practically  to  de 
monstrate  the  truth  of  the  theory  he  had  advanced, — that  it  was 
possible  to  sail  to  the  East  Indies  by  way  of  the  west.  Hfe 
now  named  the  famous  strait  the  Strait  of  the  Patagonians,  but 
a  sense  of  justice  induced  the  Europeans  to  change  its  name  and 
to  call  it  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  At  every  mile  or  two  he 
found  a  safe  harbor  with  excellent  water,  cedar-wood,  sardines, 
and  shell-fish,  together  with  an  abundance  of  sweet  celery, — a 
specific  against  the  scurvy. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  the  squadron,  reduced  to  three 
ships  by  the  loss  of  the  Santiago,  left  the  strait  and  launched 
into  the  Great  South  Sea,  to  which,  from  the  steady  and  gentle 
winds  that  propelled  them  over  waters  almost  unruffled,  Magellan 
gave  the  name  of  Pacific, — a  name  which  it  has  ever  since  re 
tained.  They  sailed  on  and  on  during  the  space  of  three  months 
and  twenty  days,  seeing  no  land,  with  the  exception  of  two  sterile 
and  deserted  islands  which  they  named  the  Unfortunate.  During 
all  this  time  they  tasted  no  fresh  provisions.  Their  biscuit  was 
little  better  than  dust  and  smelled  intolerably,  being  impregnated 
with  the  effluvia  of  mice.  The  water  was  putrid  and  offensive. 
The  crew  were  so  far  reduced  that  they  were  glad  to  eat  leather, 
which  they  were  obliged  to  soak  for  four  or  five  days  in  the  sea 
in  order  to  render  it  sufficiently  supple  to  be  broiled,  chewed, 
and  digested.  Others  lived  on  sawdust,  while  mice  were  sought 
after  with  such  avidity  that  they  were  sold  for  half  a  ducat 
apiece. 

Scurvy  now  began  to  make  its  appearance,  and  nineteen  of 
the  sailors  died  of  it.  The  gums  of  many  were  swollen  over 
their  teeth,  so  that,  unable  to  masticate  their  leathern  viands, 
they  perished  miserably  of  starvation.  Those  who  remained  alive 
became  weak,  low-spirited,  and  helpless.  The  Patagonian  taken 


218  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

on  board  the  Trinidada  at  Port  Julian  was  attacked  by  the 
disease.  Pigafetta,  seeing  that  he  could  not  recover,  showed 
him  the  cross  and  reverently  kissed  it.  The  Patagonian  besought 
him  by  gestures  to  forbear,  as  the  demon  would  certainly  enter 
his  body  and  cause  him  to  burst.  When  at  death's  door,  how 
ever,  he  called  for  the  cross,  which  he  kissed :  he  then  begged 
to  be  baptized,  and  was  received  into  the  bosom  of  the  Church 
under  the  name  of  Paul. 

The  vessels  kept  on  and  on,  seeing  no  fish  but  sharks,  and 
finding  no  bottom  along  the  shores  of  the  stunted  islands  which 
they  passed.  The  needle  was  so  irregular  in  its  motion  that  it 
required  frequent  passes  of  the  loadstone  to  revive  its  energy. 
No  prominent  star  appeared  to  serve  as  an  Antarctic  Polar  guide. 
Two  stars,  however,  were  discovered,  which,  from  the  smallness 
of  the  circle  they  described  in  their  diurnal  course,  seemed  to 
be  near  the  pole.  "We  traversed,"  says  Pigafetta,  "a  space 
of  from  sixty  to  seventy  leagues  a  day ;  and,  if  God  and  His 
Holy  Mother  had  not  granted  us  a  fortunate  voyage,  we  should 
all  have  perished  of  hunger  in  so  vast  a  sea.  I  do  not  think 
any  one  for  the  future  will  venture  upon  a  similar  voyage."  It 
was,  indeed,  nearly  sixty  years  before  Drake,  the  second 
circumnavigator,  entered  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Early  in  March,  1521,  Magellan  fell  in  with  a  cluster  of 
islands,  where  he  and  his  men  went  ashore  to  refresh  themselves 
after  the  fatigue*  and  privations  of  their  voyage.  The  in 
habitants,  however,  were  great  thieves,  penetrating  into  the 
cabins  of  the  vessels  and  taking  every  thing  on  which  they  could 
.lay  their  hands.  Magellan,  exasperated  at  length,  landed  with 
forty  men,  burned  a  village  and  killed  seven  of  the  natives. 
The  latter,  when  pierced  with  arrows  through  and  through, — a 
weapon  they  had  never  seen  before, — would  draw  them  out  by 
either  end  and  stare  at  them  till  they  died.  Magellan  gave  the 
name  of  Ladrones  to  these  islands, — a  name  which  they  retain 
.  in  modern  geography,  though,  in  the  time  of  Philip  IV.  of 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA,  219 

Spain,  they  were  called  the  Marianne  Isles,  in  honor  of  Maria, 
his  queen. 

At  another  island  the  crew  received  from  the  inhabitants  the 
first  present  of  cocoanuts  made  to  a  European  of  which  any 
record  exists.  Pigafetta  describes  this  now  world-famous  fruit 
in  a  manner  which  shows  that  he  considered  it  a  most  wonderful 
novelty.  We  extract  a  portion  of  his  description: — "Cocoa- 
nuts,"  he  says,  "are  the  fruit  of  a  species  of  palm-tree,  which 
furnishes  the  people  with  bread,  wine,  oil,  vinegar,  and  physic. 
To  obtain  wine,  they  make  an  incision  in  the  top  of  the  tree, 
penetrating  to  the  pith,  from  which  drops  a  liquor  resembling 
white  must,  but  which  is  rather  tart.  This  liquor  is  caught  in 
the  hollow  of  a  reed  the  thickness  of  a  man's  leg,  which  is  sus 
pended  to  the  tree  and  is  carefully  emptied  twice  a  day.  The 
fruit  is  of  the  size  of  a  man's  head,  and  sometimes  larger.  Its 
outward  rind  is  green  and  two  fingers  thick :  it  is  composed  of 
filaments  of  which  they  make  cordage  for  their  boats.  Beneath 
this  is  a  shell  harder  and  thicker  than  that  of  the  walnut.  This 
they  burn  and  pulverize,  using  the  powder  as  a  remedy  in  several 
distempers.  Within,  the  shell  is  lined  with  a  white  kernel  about 
as  thick  as  a  finger,  which  is  eaten,  instead  of  bread,  with  meat 
and  fish.  In  the  centre  of  the  nut,  encircled  by  the  kernel,  a 
sweet  and  limpid  liquor  is  found,  of  a  corroborative  nature. 
This  liquor,  poured  into  a  glass  and  suffered  to  stand,  assumes 
the  consistence  of  an  apple.  The  kernel  and  liquor,  if  left  to 
ferment  and  afterwards  boiled,  yield  an  oil  as  thick  as  butter. 
To  obtain  vinegar,  the  liquor  itself  is  exposed  to  the  sun.  and 
the  acid  which  results  from  it  resembles  that  vinegar  we  make 
from  white  wine.  A  family  of  ten  persons  might  be  supported 
from  two  cocoanut-trees,  by  alternately  tapping  each  every 
week,  and  letting  the  other  rest,  that  a  perpetual  drainage  of 
liquor  may  not  kill  the  tree.  We  were  told  that  a  cocoanut- 
tree  lives  a  century." 

At  another  island,  Pigafetta  asserts  that,  by  sifting  the  earth 


220  .      MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

he  found  lumps  of  gold  as  large  as  walnuts  and  some  as  big  as 
eggs  even,  and  that  all  the  vessels  used  by  the  king  at  his  table 
were  of  the  same  precious  metal.  These  are  believed  to  have 
been  gross  falsehoods  of  Pigafetta's  invention,  in  a  view  to  pro 
cure  for  himself  the  command  of  a  subsequent  voyage  of  dis 
covery.  Magellan  gratified  two  island-kings  with  the  spectacle 
of  a  grand  Catholic  ceremony.  He  sprinkled  them  with  sweet- 
scented  water,  and  offered  them  the  cross  to  kiss.  On  the 
elevation  of  the  host  he  caused  them  to  adore  the  Eucharist 
with  joined  hands.  At  this  moment  a  discharge  of  artillery, 
arranged  beforehand,  was  fired  from  the  ships.  The  entertain 
ment  concluded  with  a  hornpipe  and  sword-dance, — an  exhibition 
which  seemed  to  please  the  two  kings  highly.  A  large  cross 
was  then  brought,  garnished  with  nails  and  a  crown  of  thorns. 
It  was  set  up  upon  a  high  mountain,  as  a  signal  to  all  Christian 
navigators  that  they  would  be  well  treated  in  the  island.  The 
kings  were  also  assured  that  if  they  prayed  to  it  devoutly  it 
would  defend  them  from  lightning  and  tempests.  They  had 
evidently  suffered  severely  from  the  vagaries  and  violence  of  the 
electric  fluid,  and  were  delighted  to  be  thus  easily  protected 
against  its  pernicious  and  destructive  influence. 


THE    NATIVES    OF    BORNEO    PREPARE   TO    ATTACK    MAGELLAN. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


DISCOVERY     OF    THE     PHILIPPINES THE     KING    OF     ZUBU   WISHES    THE    KING     OF 

SPAIX    TO    PAY  TRIBUTE — HE    FINALLY   ABANDONS  THE  IDEA A    WHOLE    ISLAND 

CONVERTED     TO     CHRISTIANITY — MAGELLAN     PERFORMS     A     MIRACLE A     DUMB 

MAN    RECOVERS     HIS    SPEECH MAGELLAN    INVADES    A   REFRACTORY    ISLAND — 

HIS  DEATH ATTEMPTS  TO  RECOVER  HIS  BODY THE  CHRISTIAN  ISLAND  RE 
TURNS  TO  IDOLATRY — -THE  SHIPS  ARRIVE  AT  BORNEO — THE  SAILORS  DRINK 
TOO  FREELY  OF  ARRACK- — FESTIVITIES  AND  TREACHERY VIVID  IMA 
GINATION  OF  PIGAFETTA THE  FLEET  ARRIVES  AT  THE  MOLUCCAS THE 

KING     OF     TIDORE — A      BRISK     TRADE     IN     CLOVES THE      SPICE-TARIFF — THE 

VITTORIA  SAILS  HOMEWARD — PIGAFETTA  IS  AGAIN  IMAGINATIVE — ARRIVAL 
AT  THE  CAPE  VERDS — LOSS  OF  ONE  DAY — COMPLETION  OF  THE  FIRST 
VOYAGE  OF  CIRCUMNAVIGATION — PIGAFETTA' S  ROMANCE  BECOMES  VERITABLE 
HISTORY. 

ON  the  7th  of  April  the  squadron  entered  the  harbor  of  the 
island  of  Zubu,  one  of  a  group  which  has  since  been  named  the 

Philippines.    Magellan  sent  a  messenger  to  the  king  to  ask  an  ex- 

221 


222  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

change  of  commodities.  The  king  observed  that  it  was  customary 
for  all  ships  entering  his  waters  to  pay  tribute,  to  which  the 
messenger  replied  that  the  Spanish  admiral  was  the  servant  of 
so  powerful  a  sovereign  that  he  could  pay  tribute  to  no  one. 
The  king  promised  to  give  an  answer  the  next  day,  and,  in  the 
mean  time,  sent  fruit  and  wine  on  board  the  ships.  Magellan  had 
brought  with  him  the  king  of  Massana,  a  neighboring  island, 
and  this  monarch  soon  convinced  the  king  of  Zubu  that,  instead 
of  asking  tribute,  he  would  be  wise  to  pay  it.  A  treaty  of  peace 
and  perpetual  amity  was  soon  established  between  his  majesty  of 
Spain  and  his  royal  brother  of  Zubu. 

Pigafetta  here  introduces  a  ridiculous  and  incredible  story  of 
the  conversion  of  these  islands  to  Christianity  by  Magellan.  It 
is  as  follows : — Magellan,  being  much  displeased  at  learning  that 
parents  attaining  a  certain  age  in  this  island  were  treated  dis 
respectfully  by  their  children,  told  them  that  the  Almighty, 
who  created  heaven  and  earth,  had  strictly  commanded  children 
to  honor  their  parents  and  had  threatened  with  eternal  fire  those 
who  transgressed  this  commandment.  He  added  other  observa 
tions  from  Holy  Writ,  which  afforded  the  islanders  much  pleasure, 
and  inspired  them  with  the  desire  of  being  instructed  in  the  true 
religion.  Magellan  assured  them  that  before  departing  he  would 
baptize  them  all,  if  they  could  convince  him  that  they  accepted 
the  boon,  not  through  any  dread  with  which  he  might  have  in 
spired  them,  or  through  any  expectation  of  temporal  advantage, 
but  from  a  spontaneous  emotion,  and  of  their  own  will.  They 
convinced  him  easily  of  the  spontaneity  of  their  feelings,  where 
upon  Magellan  wept  for  joy  and  embraced  them  all.  Sunday, 
the  16th  of  April,  was  fixed  upon  for  the  ceremony.  A  scaffold 
was  raised  and  covered  with  tapestry  and  branches  of  palm.  A 
general  salute  was  fired  by  the  squadron.  Magellan  then  told 
the  king  that  one  of  the  advantages  which  would  accrue  to  him 
from  embracing  Christianity  would  be  that  he  would  be  strength 
ened,  and  would  more  easily  overcome  his  enemies.  The  king 


MAN  UPON   THE    SEA.  223 

replied  that  even  without  this  consideration  he  felt  disposed  to 
become  a  Christian.  Eight  hundred  persons  were  then  baptized, 
the  queen  receiving  the  name  of  Jane,  after  the  mother  of  the 
Emperor  of  Spain.  She  begged  an  infant  Jesus  of  Pigafetta, 
with  which  to  replace  her  idols.  This  remarkable  story  con 
cludes  with  a  statement  that  one  village  of  idolaters  absolutely 
refused  to  be  converted,  and  that  Magellan  therefore  burned 
their  houses,  erecting  a  cross  upon  the  ruins.  Not  content  with 
this,  Pigafetta  next  makes  Magellan  perform  a  miracle.  The 
king's  brother  was  very  sick,  and  had  totally  lost  his  speech. 
The  admiral  said  that  if  all  the  idols  remaining  in  the  island 
were  burned,  and  if  the  prince  were  baptized,  he  would  pledge 
his  head  that  he  would  recover.  Magellan  then  baptized  the 
invalid,  together  with  his  two  wives  and  ten  daughters.  The 
captain  "then  asked  him  how  he  found  himself,  and  he  answered, 
of  a  sudden  recovering  his  speech,  that,  thanks  to  the  Lord,  he 
found  himself  very  well.  We  were  all  of  us  ocular  witnesses 
of  this  miracle.  The  captain  then,  with  greater  fervor  than 
the  rest  of  us,  returned  praise  to  God."  Idols  were  now  com 
mitted  to  the  flames  in  vast  numbers,  and  temples  built  upon 
the  margin  of  the  sea  were  demolished.  The  new  Christians 
went  about  the  island  crying,  at  the  top  of  their  voice,  "  Viva  la 
Castilla !"  in  honor  of  the  King  of  Spain. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  Magellan  learned  that  a  neighboring 
chief,  named  Cilapolapu,  refused  to  acknowledge  the  authority 
of  the  King  of  Spain,  and  remained  in  open  profession  of 
paganism  in  the  midst  of  a  Christian  community.  He  deter 
mined  to  lend  his  assistance  to  the  converted  chiefs  to  reduce 
and  subjugate  this  stubborn  prince.  At  midnight,  boats  left 
the  ships,  bearing  sixty  men  armed  with  helmets  and  cuirasses. 
The  natives  followed  in  twenty  canoes.  They  reached  the  re 
bellious  island — Matan  by  name — three  hours  before  daybreak. 
Cilapolapu  was  notified  that  he  must  obey  the  Christian  King 
of  Zubu  or  feel  the  strength  of  Christian  lances.  The  islanders 


224  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

replied  that  they  had  lances  too.  The  invaders  waited  for  day 
light,  and  then,  jumping  into  the  water  up  to  their  thighs,  waded 
to  shore.  The  enemy  was  fifteen  hundred  in  number,  formed 
into  three  battalions :  two  of  these  attacked  them  in  the  flank, 
the  third  in  the  front.  The  musketeers  fired  for  half  an  hour 
without  making  the  least  impression.  Trusting  to  the  superiority 
of  their  numbers,  the  natives  deluged  the  Christians  with  showers 
of  bamboo  lances,  staves  hardened  in  the  fire,  stones,  and  even 
dirt.  A  poisoned  arrow  at  last  struck  Magellan,  who  at  once 
ordered  a  retreat  in  slow  and  regular  order.  The  Indians  now 
perceived  that  their  blows  took  effect  when  aimed  at  the  nether 
limbs  of  their  foe,  and  profited  by  this  observation  with  telling 
effect.  Seeing  that  Magellan  was  wounded,  they  twice  struck  his 
helmet  from  his  head.  He  and  his  small  band  of  men  continued 
fighting  for  more  than  an  hour,  standing  in  the  water  up  to  their 
knees.  Magellan  was  now  evidently  failing,  and  the  islanders, 
perceiving  his  weakness,  pressed  upon  him  in  crowds.  One  of 
them  cut  him  violently  across  the  left  leg,  and  he  fell  on  his 
face.  He  was  immediately  surrounded  and  belabored  with 
sticks  and  stones  till  he  died.  His  men,  every  one  of  whom 
was  wounded,  unable  to  afford  him  succor  or  avenge  his  death, 
escaped  to  their  boats  upon  his  fall. 

"Thus,"  says  Pigafetta,  "perished  our  guide,  our  light,  and 
our  support.  But  his  glory  will  survive  him.  He  was  adorned 
with  every  virtue :  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  adversity,  he 
constantly  possessed  an  immovable  firmness.  At  sea  he  sub 
jected  himself  to  the  same  privations  as  his  men.  Better  skilled 
than  any  one  in  the  knowledge  of  nautical  charts,  he  was  a 
perfect  master  of  navigation,  as  he  proved  in  making  the  tour  of 
the  world, — an  attempt  on  which  none  before  him  had  ventured." 
Though  Magellan  only  made  half  the  circuit  of  the  earth  on  this 
occasion,  yet  it  may  be  said  with  reason  that  he  was  the  first  to 
circumnavigate  the  globe,  from  the  fact  that  the  way  home  from 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  225 

the  Philippines  was  perfectly  well  known  to  the  Portuguese,  and 
that  Magellan  had  already  been  at  Malacca. 

An  attempt  was  made  in  the  afternoon  -to  recover  the  hody 
of  Magellan  by  negotiation;  but  the  islanders  sent  answer  that 
no  consideration  could  induce  them  to  part  with  the  remains  of 
a  man  like  the  admiral,  which  they  should  preserve  as  a  monu 
ment  of  their  victory.  Two  governors  were  elected  in  his  stead, 
Odoard  Barbosa  and  Juan  Serrano.  The  latter,  together  with 
San  Martino,  the  astronomer,  and  a  number  of  officers,  having 
been  decoyed  on  shore  by  the  converted  king,  were  murdered 
by  him  in  cold  blood.  He  had  seen  the  inferiority  of  Christians 
to  savages  in  war,  and,  being  doubtless  disgusted  with  the  boast 
ful  pretences  of  Christianity,  had,  upon  Magellan's  death,  re 
nounced  it  and  returned  again  to  idolatry.  Juan  Serrano  was 
seen  upon  the  shore,  bound  hand  and  foot :  he  begged  the  people 
in  the  ships  to  treat  for  his  release ;  and,  upon  this  being  refused, 
he  uttered  deep  imprecations,  and  appealed  to  the  Almighty  to 
call  to  account  on  the  great  day  of  judgment  those  who  refused 
to  succor  him  in  his  hour  of  need.  They  put  to  sea,  leaving 
the  unfortunate  Serrano  to  his  miserable  fate. 

Odoard  Barbosa,  now  sole  commander,  ordered  the  ConcepQion, 
one  of  the  three  ships,  to  be  burned,  transferring  its  men,  am 
munition,  and  provisions  to  the  other  two.  After  landing  at 
various  islands,  he  came  to  the  rich  settlement  of  Borneo,  on 
the  9th  of  July.  The  king,  who  was  a  Mohammedan  and  kept  a 
magnificent  court,  sent  out  to  them  a  beautiful  canoe,  adorned 
with  gold  figures  and  peacocks'  feathers.  In  it  were  musicians 
playing  upon  the  bagpipe  and  drum.  Eight  officers  of  the 
island  brought  to  the  captain  a  vase  full  of  betel  areca  to  chew, 
a  quantity  of  orange-flowers  and  jessamine,  some  sugarcane, 
and  three  goblets  of  a  distilled  liquor  which  they  called  arrack, 
and  upon  which  the  sailors  became  intoxicated.  Permission  was 
granted  the  visitors  to  wood  and  water  on  the  island  and  to 

trade  with  the  natives.     An  interview  with  the  king  was  like- 

15 


•2'2Q  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

wise  accorded,  which  took  place  with  every  possible  ceremony, — 
processions  of  elephants,  presents  of  cinnamon,  and  illumina 
tions  of  wax  flambeaux.  Notwithstanding  these  professions  of 
friendship,  the  squadron  was  obliged  to  leave  Borneo  very  sud 
denly,  in  consequence  of  the  appearance  of  one  hundred  armed 
canoes,  which  they  imagined  to  be  bent  upon  a  hostile  expedition. 

Among  the  wonders  of  Borneo,  Pigafetta  mentions  two  pearls 
as  large  as  hens'  eggs,  and  so  round  that  if  placed  upon  a 
polished  table  they  never  remained  at  rest,  and  cups  of  porce 
lain  possessing  the  power  to  denote  the  presence  of  poison,  by 
breaking  if  any  were  put  into  them.  At  a  neighboring  island 
where  the  fleet  remained  undergoing  repairs  for  six  weeks, 
Pigafetta  saw  a  sight  which  he  thus  describes  : — "We  here  found 
a  tree  whose  leaves,  as  they  fall,  become  animated  and  walk 
about.  They  resemble  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry-tree.  Upon 
being  touched  they  make  away,  but  when  crushed  they  yield  no 
blood.  I  kept  one  in  a  box  for  nine  days,  and,  on  opening  the 
box,  found  the  leaf  still  alive  and  walking  round  it.  I  am  of 
opinion  they  live  on  air."  Pigafetta's  mistake  here  was  in 
stating  that  a  leaf  resembled  an  insect :  he  should  have  spoken 
of  the  curiosity  as  an  insect  resembling  a  leaf.  It  is  now  known 
to  naturalists  as  a  species  of  locust. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  they  espied  a  cluster  of  five 
islands,  which  their  pilots,  obtained  at  their  last  station,  declared 
to  be  the  famous  Moluccas.  They  had  therefore  proved  the 
world  to  be  round,  for  vessels  sailing  to  the  west  from  Spain 
had  now  met  vessels  sailing  thence  to  the  east.  They  returned 
thanks  to  God,  and  fired  a  round  from  their  great  guns.  They 
had  been  at  sea  twenty-six  months,  and  had  at  last,  after 
visiting  an  infinity  of  islands,  reached  those  in  quest  of  which 
they  had  embarked  in  the  expedition.  On  the  8th,  three  hours 
before  sunset,  they  entered  the  harbor  of  the  island  of  Tidore. 
They  came  to  anchor  in  twenty  fathoms'  water,  and  discharged 
all  their  cannon.  The  king,  shaded  by  a  parasol  of  silk,  came 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


227 


the  next  day  to  visit  them,  said  he  had  dreamed  of  their  approach 
ing  visit,  had  consulted  the  moon  in  reference  to  this  dream, 
and  was  now  delighted  to  see  it  confirmed.  He  added  that  he 
was  happy  in  the  friendship  of  the  King  of  Spain,  and  was 
proud  to  be  his  vassal.  This  potentate,  whose  name  was  Rajah 
Soultan  Manzour,  was  a  Mohammedan:  he  was  "an  eminent 
astrologer,"  and  had  numerous  wives  and  twenty-six  children. 


T  I  D  0  R  E  . 


On  the  12th,  a  shed  was  erected  in  the  town  of  Tidore  by 
the  Spaniards,  whither  they  carried  all  the  merchandise  they 
intended  to  barter  for  cloves.  A  tariff  of  exchange  was  then 
drawn  up.  Ten  yards  of  red  cloth  were  to  be  worth  four 
hundred  pounds  of  cloves,  as  were  also  fifteen  yards  of  inferior 
cloth,  fifteen  axes,  thirty-five  glass  tumblers,  twenty-six  yards 
of  linen,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pairs  of  scissors,  three  gongs,  or 
a  hundredweight  of  copper.  As  the  stock  of  articles  brought 
by  the  strangers  diminished,  however,  their  value  naturally  rose, 
and  a  yard  of  ribbon  would  buy  a  quintal  of  cloves :  in  fact, 


228  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

every  thing  with  which  the  ships  could  dispense  on  their  return- 
voyage  was  bartered  for  cloves.  They  were  soon  so  deeply 
laden  that  they  hardly  had  room  in  which  to  stow  their  water. 
The  Trinidada,  becoming  leaky,  was  left  behind,  Juan  Carvajo, 
her  pilot,  and  fifty-three  of  the  crew,  remaining  with  her.  The 
Vittoria  bade  adieu  to  her  consort  on  the  21st  of  December, 
the  two  vessels  exchanging  a  parting  salute.  The  number  of 
Europeans  on  board  of  the  Vittoria  was  now  reduced  to  forty- 
six  ;  and  the  fleet,  which  formerly  consisted  of  five  sail,  was  now 
reduced  to  one. 

As  the  Vittoria  made  her  way  through  the  thick  archipelagoes 
of  islands  which  dot  the  seas  in  these  latitudes,  her  Molucca 
pilot  told  Pigafetta  amazing  stories  of  their  inhabitants.  In 
Aracheto,  he  said,  the  men  and  women  were  but  a  foot  and 
a  half  high ;  their  food  was  the  pith  of  a  tree ;  their  dwellings 
were  caverns  under  ground;  their  ears  were  as  long  as  their 
bodies,  so  that  when  they  lay  down  one  ear  served  as  a  mat 
tress  and  the  other  as  a  blanket ! 

In  order  to  double  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  captain 
ascended  as  high  as  the  forty-second  degree  of  south  latitude : 
he  remained  wind-bound  for  nine  weeks  opposite  the  Cape. 
The  crew  were  now  suffering  from  sickness,  hunger,  and  thirst. 
After  doubling  the  Cape,  they  steered  northwest  for  two 
months,  losing  twenty-one  men  on  the  way.  Pigafetta  noticed 
that,  on  throwing  the  dead  into  the  sea,  the  Christians  floated 
with  their  faces  turned  towards  heaven,  while  the  Moham 
medans  they  had  engaged  turned  their  faces  the  other  way !  At 
last,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1522,  the  vessel  made  the  Cape  Verds. 
These  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Portuguese ;  and  it  was  a 
very  hazardous  thing  for  the  Spaniards  to  put  themselves  in 
their  power.  However,  they  represented  themselves  as  coming 
from  the  west  and  not  from  the  east,  and  made  known  their 
necessities.  Their  long-boat  was  laden  twice  with  rice  in  ex 
change  for  various  articles.  On  its  third  trip  the  crew  was 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  229 

detained, — the  Portuguese  having  discovered  that  the  Vittoria 
was  one  of  Magellan's  fleet.  She  was  compelled  to  abandon 
the  men  as  prisoners,  and  sailed  away, — her  whole  equipment 
now  numbering  eighteen  hands,  all  of  them,  except  Pigafetta, 
more  or  less  disabled.  The  latter,  to  discover  if  his  journal 
had  been  regularly  kept,  had  inquired  at  the  islands  what  day 
it  was,  and  was  told  it  was  Thursday.  This  amazed  him,  as  his 
reckoning  made  it  Wednesday.  He  was  soon  convinced  there 
was  no  mistake  in  his  account ;  as,  having  sailed  to  the  westward 
and  followed  the  course  of  the  sun,  it  was  evident  that,  in  cir 
cumnavigating  the  globe,  he  had  seen  it  rise  once  less  than 
those  who  had  remained  at  home,  and  thus,  apparently,  had  lost 
a  day. 

On  Saturday,  the  6th  of  September,  the  Vittoria  entered  the 
Bay  of  San  Lucar,  having  been  absent  three  years  and  twenty- 
seven  days,  and  having  sailed  upwards  of  fourteen  thousand  six 
hundred  leagues.  On  the  8th,  having  ascended  the  Guadal 
quivir,  she  anchored  off  the  mole  of  Seville  and  discharged  all 
her  artillery.  On  the  9th,  the  whole  crew  repaired,  in  their 
shirts  and  barefooted,  and  carrying  tapers  in  their  hands,  to 
the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  as  in  hours  of  danger  they 
had  often  vowed  to  do.  The  captain  of  the  Vittoria,  Juan  Se 
bastian  Cano,  was  knighted  by  Charles  V.,  who  gave  him  for 
his  coat  of  arms  the  terrestial  globe,  with  a  motto  commemo 
rating  the  voyage.  Pigafetta  presented  to  Charles  V.  of  Spain, 
to  King  John  of  Portugal,  to  the  Queen  Regent  of  France,  and 
to  Philippe,  Grand  Master  of  Rhodes,  journals  and  narratives 
of  the  expedition.  From  the  latter,  the  most  complete,  we 
have  extracted  the  foregoing  account, — taking  care,  however, 
to  correct  -its  errors,  and  to  point  out  the  numerous  instances  in 
which  its  author  was  indebted  to  his  imagination  for  his  facts. 


FROM    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    ROUND    THE    WORLD    TO    THE     DIS 
COVERY   OF   CAPE   HORN;   1519— 1616. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

VOYAGE    OF    JACQUES    CARTIER — MARITIME     PROJECTS    OF    FRANCIS    I.    OF    FRANCE 
—GULF    OF    ST.    LAWRENCE — A    QUICK   TRIP    HOME — SECOND    VOYAGE — CANADA, 

QUEBEC,    MONTREAL A     CAPTIVE     KING — VOYAGE     OF    SIR    HUGH    WILLOUGHBY 

AND  RICHARD  CHANCELLOR — DISCOVERY  OF  NOVA  ZEMBLA — DISASTROUS 
WINTER — FATE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION — MARTIN  FROBISHER — HIS  VOYAGE  IN 
QUEST  OF  A  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE — GREENLAND — LABRADOR — FROBISHER's 
STRAITS — EXCHANGE  OF  CAPTIVES — SUPPOSED  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD — SECOND 

VOYAGE — A    CARGO    OF   PRECIOUS    EARTH    TAKEN    ON    BOARD META   INCOGNITA 

THIRD   VOYAGE — A    MORTIFYING    CONCLUSION. 

IT  -would  appear  natural  for  the  Spaniards  to  have  sought  to 
derive  immediate  profit  from  their  discovery  of  a  western  pas 
sage  to  the  South  Sea.  They  did  not  do  so,  however ;  and  a 
generation  was  destined  to  pass  away  before  a  second  European 
vessel  should  enter  Magellan's  Strait.  We  must  for  a  time, 
therefore,  leave  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  in  quiet  posses 
sion  of  their  Indian  and  American  commerce,  and  turn  to  the 
several  transatlantic  and  Arctic  enterprises  undertaken  at  this 
period  by  the  French  and  English. 

Jacques  Cartier,  a  native  of  St.  Malo  in  France,  had,  in 
1534,  finished  his  apprenticeship  as  a  sailor.  He  conceived 
the  idea  of  seeking  a  passage  to  China  and  the  Spice  Islands 
to  the  north  of  the  Western  Continent,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 

the  Pole.     This  was  the  origin  of  the  various  efforts  made  in 
230 


SCENE     ON     THE     CANADIAN     COAST. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  231 

quest  of  the  renowned  Northwest  Passage.  He  also  thought  it 
incumbent  upon  France  to  assert  her  right  to  a  share  in  the 
explorations  and  discoveries  which  were  making  Portugal  and 
Spain  both  famous  and  rich.  He  caused  his  project  to  be  laid 
before  Francis  I.,  who  had  long  viewed  with  jealousy  the  suc 
cessful  expeditions  of  other  powers,  and  who  is  said  once  to  have 
exclaimed,  "Where  is  the  will  and  testament  of  our  father 
Adam,  which  disinherits  me  of  my  share  in  these  possessions  in 
favor  of  Spain  and  Portugal?"  He  at  once  approved  the  pro 
position  ;  and,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1534,  Cartier  left  St.  Malo 
with  two  ships  of  sixty  tons  each.  No  details  of  the  outward 
voyage  have  reached  us.  It  was  rapid  and  prosperous,  however, 
for  the  ships  anchored  in  Bonavista  Bay,  upon  the  eastern  coast 
of  Newfoundland,  on  the  twentieth  day. 

Proceeding  to  the  north,  he  discovered  Belle  Isle  Straits,  and 
through  them  descended  to  the  west  into  a  gulf  which  he  called 
St.  Lawrence,  having  Newfoundland  on  his  left  and  Labrador 
on  his  right.  He  thus  assured  himself  of  the  insular  character 
of  Newfoundland.  He  discovered  many  of  the  islands  and 
headlands  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  some  of  them  bear 
to  this  day  the  names  he  gave  them.  He  had  interviews  with 
several  tribes  of  natives,  and  took  possession  of  numerous  lands 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France.  In  the  middle  of  August 
east  winds  became  prevalent  and  violent,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  ascend  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  at  the  mouth  of  which  they 
now  were.  A  council  was  held,  and  a  return  unanimously  de 
cided  upon.  They  arrived  safely  at  St.  Malo,  after  a  rapid  and 
prosperous  voyage. 

Francis  I.  immediately  caused  three  ships,  respectively  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty,  sixty,  and  forty  tons,  to  be  equipped,  and  de 
spatched  Cartier  upon  a  second  voyage  of  exploration,  with  the 
title  of  Royal  Pilot.  He  started  in  May,  1535,  and  after  a  stormy 
voyage  of  two  months  arrived  at  his  anchorage  in  Newfound 
land.  From  thence  he  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Law- 


232  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

rence,  which  he  calls  by  its  Indian  name  of  Hochelaga.  Here 
he  was  told  by  the  savages  that  the  river  led  to  a  country  called 
Canada.  He  ascended  the  stream  in  boats,  passed  a  village 
named  Stadacone, — the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Quebec, — and 
arrived  at  the  Indian  city  of  Hochelaga,  which,  from  a  high 
mountain  in  the  vicinity,  he  named  Mont  Royal, — now  Mon 
treal.  He  went  no  farther  than  the  junction  of  the  Ottawa  and 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  then  returned.  He  remained  at  Stada 
cone  through  the  winter,  losing  twenty-five  of  his  men  by  a  con 
tagious  distemper  then  very  little  known, — the  scurvy. 

Cartier  returned  to  France  in  July,  1536,  taking  with  him 
a  Canadian  king,  named  Donnaconna,  and  nine  other  natives, 
who  had  been  captured  and  brought  on  board  by  compulsion. 
They  were  taken  to  Europe,  where  Donnaconna  died  two  years 
afterwards :  three  others  were  baptized  in  1538,  Cartier  stand 
ing  sponsor  for  one  of  them.  They  seem  to  have  all  been  dead 
in  1541,  the  date  of  Cartier's  third  voyage.  The  king  ordered 
five  ships  to  be  prepared,  with  which  Cartier  again  started  for 
the  scene  of  his  discoveries.  The  narrative  of  this  expedition  is 
lost ;  but  it  appears  to  have  resulted  in  few  or  no  incidents  of  in 
terest.  Cartier  was  ennobled  upon  his  return  in  1542,  and  lived 
ten  years  to  enjoy  his  new  dignity.  His  descriptions  of  the 
scenery,  products,  and  Indians  of  Canada  are  graphic  and  correct. 

In  the  year  1553,  "the  Mystery  and  Company  of  English 
merchants  adventurers  for  the  discovery  of  regions,  dominions, 
islands,  and  places  unknown" — at  the  head  of  whom  was  Se 
bastian  Cabot — fitted  out  an  expedition  of  three  vessels,  and 
gave  the  chief  command  to  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby,  "  by  reason 
of  his  goodly  personage,  as  also  for  his  singular  skill  in  the 
services  of  war."  King  Edward  VI.  confirmed  the  appointment 
in  "a  license  to  discover  strange  countries." 

The  fleet  consisted  of  the  Buona  Speranza,  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  tons,  commanded  by  Sir  Hugh,  with  thirty-eight 
men,  the  Edward  Buenaventura,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  233 

tons,  commanded  by  Richard  Chancellor,  pilot-major  of  the  ex 
pedition,  with  fifty-four  men,  and  the  Buona  Confidentia,  of 
ninety  tons,  with  twenty-four  men.  The  ships  were  victualled 
for  fifteen  months.  On  board  of  them  were  eighteen  mer 
chants  interested  in  the  discovery  of  a  northeast  passage  to 
India, — a  route,  therefore,  attempted  by  the  English  previous  to 
that  by  the  northwest,  as  the  voyage  of  Sebastian  Cabot  can 
hardly  be  considered  a  serious  effort.  A  council  of  twelve,  in 
whom  was  vested  the  general  direction  of  the  voyage,  was 
composed  of  the  adhiiral,  pilot-major,  and  other  officers. 

The  squadron  sailed  from  Deptford  on  the  10th  of  May,  1553, 
and  fell  in  with  the  Norwegian  coast  on  the  14th  of  July.  On  the 
30th,  while  near  Wardhus,  the  most  easterly  station  of  the  Danes 
in  Finmark,  Chancellor's  vessel  was  driven  off  in  a  storm,  and 
was  not  seen  again  by  the  two  others.  The  latter  appear  to  have 
been  tossed  about  in  the  North  Sea  for  two  months,  in  the  course 
of  which  they  landed  at  some  spot  on  the  western  coast  of  Nova 
Zembla,  being  the  first  Europeans  to  visit  that  uninhabited  waste. 
On  the  18th  of  September  they  entered  a  harbor  in  Lapland 
formed  by  the  mouth  of  the  river  Arzina.  Here  they  remained 
a  week,  seeing  seals,  deer,  bears,  foxes,  "  with  divers  strange 
beasts,  such  as  ellans  and  others,  which  were  to  us  unknown 
and  also  wonderful."  It  was  now  the  1st  of  October,  and  the 
Arctic  winter  was  far  advanced.  They  resolved  to  winter  there, 
first  sending  out  parties  in  search  of  inhabitants.  Three  men 
went  three  days'  journey  to  the  south-southwest,  but  returned 
without  having  seen  a  human  being.  Others  who  went  to  the 
west  and  the  southeast  returned  equally  unsuccessful.  This  is 
the  last  positive  intelligence  we  have  of  the  fate  of  these  hardy 
and  unfortunate  explorers.  A  will,  however,  alleged  to  have 
been  made  by  one  Gabriel  Willoughby,  and  signed  by  Sir 
Hugh,  bearing  the  date  of  January,  1554,  shows,  if  authentic, 
that  at  least  two  of  the  party  were  alive  at  that  period. 
Purchas,  one  of  the  oldest  authorities  upon  navigation  and 


234  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

travels  extant,  says  that  the  Buona  Speranza  was  discovered 
in  the  following  spring  by  a  party  of  Russians,  who  found  all 
the  crew  frozen  to  death.  In  1557,  a  Drontheim  skipper  told 
an  Englishman,  at  Kegor,  that  he  had  bought  the  sails  of  the 
Buona  Confidentia;  hut  it  is  not  known  where  she  was  lost,  or 
what  was  the  fate  of  the  crew.  The  will  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  and  a  fragmentary  diary  attributed  to  Sir  Hugh,  were 
found  by  the  Russians,  and  were  restored  to  the  kinsmen  of  the 
adventurers  in  England. 

The  Edward  Buonaventura,  commanded  by  Chancellor,  and 
which  was  separated  from  her  consorts  off  Wardhus,  reached 
Archangel,  on  the  "White  Sea,  in  Russia,  in  safety,  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  commercial  intercourse  between  Russia 
and  England.  On  his  return,  his  ship  was  lost  on  the  coast 
of  Scotland,  and  he  himself,  with  several  of  his  crew,  drowned. 
Thus,  of  the  three  ships  despatched,  not  one  ever  reached 
home ;  and  of  the  officers,  merchants,  and  men,  none  survived 
to  revisit  their  country,  except  a  few  of  the  common  sea 
men  of  the  Edward  Buonaventura.  The  advantages  acquired 
at  such  a  cost  of  human  life  were  limited  to  the  barren 
discovery  of  the  ice-clad  coast  of  Nova  Zembla.  Nothing 
had  been  effected  towards  the  accomplishment  of  a  Northeast 
Passage. 

Martin  Frobisher,  a  seaman  of  experience  and  enterprise, 
was  the  first  Englishman  to  cherish  the  project  of  attempting 
to  penetrate  to  Asia  by  the  channel  supposed  to  exist  to  the 
north  of  America.  He  communicated  his  design  to  his  friends, 
and  spent  fifteen  years  in  fruitless  efforts  to  enlist  capital  and 
energy  in  the  cause.  Sailors,  financiers,  merchants,  statesmen, 
— all  regarded  the  scheme  as  visionary  and  hopeless.  At  last 
Lord  Dudley,  the  favorite  of  Elizabeth,  interested  himself  in 
Frobisher's  success,  and  from  that  moment  he  experienced  little 
difficulty  in  accomplishing  his  object.  He  formed  a  company, 
amassed  the  requisite  sums  of  money,  and  purchased  three  small 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  235 

vessels, — two  barks  of  twenty-five  tons  each,  the  Gabriel  and 
the  Michael,  and  a  pinnace  of  ten  tons.  This  valiant  little  fleet 
weighed  anchor  at  Deptford  on  the  8th  of  June,  15T6,  and, 
passing  the  court  assembled  at  Greenwich,  discharged  their 
ordnance,  and  made  as  imposing  an  appearance  as  their  limited 
outfit  would  allow.  Queen  Elizabeth  waved  her  hand  at  the 
commander  from  a  window,  and,  bidding  him  farewell,  wished 
him  success  and  a  happy  return.  On  the  25th  he  passed  the 
southern  point  of  Shetland, — known  as  Swinborn  Head.  He 
anchored  here  to  repair  a  leak  and  to  take  in  fresh  water.  On 
the  10th  of  July,  he  descried  the  coast  of  Greenland,  "rising 
like  pinnacles  of  steeples,  and  all  covered  with  snow."  The  crew 
made  efforts  to  go  ashore,  but  could  find  no  anchorage  for  the 
vessels,  or  landing-place  for  the  boats.  On  the  28th,  Frobisher 
saw  dimly,  through  the  fog,  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  coast 
of  Labrador,  enveloped  in  ice.  On  the  31st  he  saw  land  for 
the  third  time,  and  on  the  llth  of  August  entered  a  strait  to 
which  he  gave  his  name. 

He  ascended  this  strait  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  It  was  not  till  the  eighth  day  that  he  saw  any  inhabit 
ants.  He  then  found  that  the  country  was  sparsely  settled  by 
a  race  resembling  Tartars.  He  went  ashore  and  established 
friendly  relations  with  a  colony  of  nineteen  persons,  to  each  one 
of  whom  he  gave  a  "threaden  point," — in  other  words,  a  needle 
and  thread.  A  few  days  afterwards,  five  of  the  crew  were  taken 
by  the  natives  and  their  boat  destroyed.  The  inlet  in  which 
this  happened  was  called  Five  Men's  Sound.  The  next  morning 
the  vessels  ran  in-shore,  shot  off  a  fauconet  and  sounded  a 
trumpet,  but  heard  nothing  of  the  lost  sailors.  However,  Fro 
bisher  caught  one  of  the  natives  in  return,  having  decoyed  him 
by  the  tinkling  of  a  bell.  When  he  found  himself  in  captivity, 
we  are  told  that  "  from  very  choler  and  disdain  he  bit  his  tongue 
in  twain  within  his  mouth :  notwithstanding,  he  died  not  thereof, 
but  lived  until  he  came  to  England,  and  then  he  died  of  cold 


236  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

which  he  had  taken  at  sea."  On  the  26th  of  August,  Frobisher 
weighed  anchor  and  started  to  return  to  England,  the  snow  lying 
a  foot  deep  upon  the  decks.  He  arrived  at  Yarmouth  on  the 
1st  of  October. 

One  of  Frobisher's  sailors  had  brought  with  him  a  bit  of 
shining  black  stone,  which,  upon  examination,  was  found  to 
yield  an  infinitesimal  quantity  of  gold.  The  Northwest  Passage 
became  now  a  matter  of  secondary  interest,  the  mines  of  Fro 
bisher's  Strait  promising  a  more  speedy  and  abundant  return. 
The  society  he  had  formed  determined  to  send  him  out  anew,  in 
vessels  better  equipped  and  provisioned  for  a  longer  period.  He 
left  Blackwall  on  the  26th  of  May,  1577,  in  her  Majesty's  ship 
Aide,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons,  followed  by  the  Gabriel  and 
Michael,  his  ostensible  object  being  to  discover  "America  to  be 
an  island  environed  with  the  sea,  wherethrough  our  merchants 
may  have  course  and  recourse  with  their  merchandise,  from 
these  our  northernmost  parts  of  Europe  to  those  oriental  coasts 
of  Asia,  to  their  no  little  commodity  and  profit  that  do  or  shall 
frequent  the  same."  The  fleet  passed  the  Orkneys  on  the  8th 
of  June. 

For  a  month  they  sailed  to  the  westward,  the  season  of  the 
year  being  that  when,  in  those  latitudes,  a  bright  twilight  takes 
the  place  of  the  light  of  day  during  the  few  hours  that  the  sun 
is  below  the  horizon ;  so  that  the  crew  had  "  the  fruition  of  their 
books  and  other  pleasures, — a  thing  of  no  small  moment  to  such 
as  wander  in  unknown  seas  and  long  navigations,  especially  when 
both  the  winds  and  raging  surges  do  pass  their  common  and 
wonted  course."  Throughout  the  voyage  they  met  huge  fir- 
trees,  which  they  supposed  to  have  been  uprooted  by  the  winds, 
driven  into  the  sea  by  floods,  and  borne  away  by  the  currents. 

On  the  4th  of  July  they  made  the  coast  of  Greenland.  The 
chronicler  of  this  voyage,  who  had  doubtless  lately  visited  tro 
pical  latitudes,  remarks  that  here,  "in  place  of  odoriferous  and 
fragrant  smells  of  sweet  gums  and  pleasant  notes  of  musical 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  237 

birds,  which  other  countries  in  more  temperate  zones  do  yield, 
we  tasted  in  July  the  most  boisterous  boreal  blasts."  In  the 
middle  of  the  month  they  entered  Frobisher's  Strait.  On  either 
side  the  land  lay  locked  in  the  embrace  of  winter  beneath  a 
midsummer  sun.  Frobisher  would  not  believe  that  the  cold  was 
sufficiently  severe  to  congeal  the  sea-water,  the  tide  rising  and 
falling  a  distance  of  twenty  feet.  Ten  miles  from  the  coast  he 
had  seen  fresh-water  icebergs,  and  concluded  that  they  had  been 
formed  upon  the  land  and  by  some  accidental  cause  detached. 
He  reconnoitred  the  coast  in  a  pinnace,  and  penetrated  some 
distance  into  the  interior,  returning  with  accounts  of  supposed 
riches  which  he  had  discovered  in  the  bowels  of  barren  and 
frozen  mountains.  A  cargo  of  two  hundred  tons  of  the  precious 
earth  was  taken  on  board  of  one  of  the  vessels.  On  the  20th 
of  August,  says  the  narrative,  "it  was  high  time  to  leave:  the 
men  were  well  wearied,  their  shoes  and  clothes  well  worn; 
their  basket-bottoms  were  torn  out  and  their  tools  broken. 
Some,  with  overstraining  themselves,  had  their  bellies  broken, 
and  others  their  legs  made  lame.  About  this  time,  too,  the 
water  began  to  congeal  and  freeze  about  our  ships'  sides  o'  nights." 
The  fleet,  which  had  troubled  itself  very  little  with  the  North 
west  Passage,  at  once  set  sail  to  the  southeast,  and  arrived  in 
England  towards  the  end  of  September. 

The  specimens  of  ore  were  assayed  and  found  satisfactory, 
and  Frobisher's  reports  upon  the  route  to  China  were  received 
with  favor.  The  queen  gave  the  name  of  Meta  Incognita,  or 
Unknown  Boundary,  to  the  region  explored.  The  Government 
determined  to  build  a  fort  in  Frobisher's  Strait  and  send  a  gar 
rison  and  a  corps  of  laborers  there.  In  the  mean  time,  Frobisher 
was  despatched  a  third  time  with  the  same  three  vessels,  and 
with  a  convoy  of  twelve  freight-ships  which  were  to  return  laden 
with  Labrador  ore.  They  set  sail  on  the  31st  of  May,  1578, 
and  made  Greenland  on  the  20th  of  June.  In  July  they  entered 
the  strait,  where  they  were  in  imminent  danger  from  storms  and 


238  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

ice.  The  bark  Denis,  being  pretty  well  bruised  and  battered, 
became  "so  leaky  that  she  would  no  longer  tarry  above  the 
water,  and  sank ;  which  sight  so  abashed  the  whole  fleet,  that 
we  thought  verily  we  should  have  tasted  the  same  sauce."  Boats 
were,  however,  manned,  and  the  drowning  crew  were  saved.  The 
storm  increased,  and  the  ice  pressed  more  and  more  upon  them, 
so  that  they  took  down  their  topmasts.  They  cut  their  cables 
to  hang  overboard  for  fencers,  "somewhat  to  ease  the  ships' 
sides  from  the  great  and  dreary  strokes  of  the  ice.  Thus  we 
continued  all  that  dismal  and  lamentable  night,  plunged  in  this 
perplexity,  looking  for  instant  death ;  but  our  God,  who  never 
leaveth  them  destitute  which  faithfully  call  upon  him,  although 
he  often  punisheth  for  amendment  sake,  in  the  morning  caused 
the  wind  to  cease  and  the  fog  to  clear.  Thus,  after  punishment, 
consolation  ;  and  we,  joyful  wights,  being  at  liberty,  hoisted  our 
sails  and  lay  beating  off  and  on." 

At  last,  at  the  close  of  July,  such  of  the  vessels  as  had  not 
been  separated  from  Frobisher's  ship  entered  the  Countess  of 
Warwick's  Sound,  and  commenced  the  work  of  mining  and 
lading.  The  miners  were  from  time  to  time  molested  by  the 
natives,  but  lost  no  lives.  They  put  on  board  of  their  several 
ships  five  hundred  tons  of  ore,  and,  on  the  1st  of  September, 
sailed  with  their  precious  freight  to  England,  where  they  arrived 
in  thirty  days.  The  ore  turned  out  to  be  utterly  valueless, — a 
result  so  mortifying  that  it  disgusted  the  English  for  many  years 
with  mining  enterprises  and  with  voyages  of  discovery.  We 
shall  hear  of  Frobisher  again,  in  connection  with  Francis  Drake, 
and  in  the  conflict  with  the  Spanish  Armada. 

The  engraving  upon  the  opposite  page,  which  is  copied  from 
an  original  of  the  period,  represents  a  portion  of  the  royal  fleet 
of  England  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  The  king  is  embarking 
at  Dover  previous  to  meeting  Francis  of  France  at  the  Field  of 
the  Cloth  of  Gold.  This  pageantry  at  sea  was  a  fitting  prelude 
to  the  festivities  which  followed  upon  the  land. 


FRANCIS     DRAKE. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ORIGIN    OF   ENGLISH   PIRACY — SIR   JOHN    HAWKINS — FRANCIS    DRAKE — HIS   FIRST 

VOYAGE    TO    THE    SPANISH    MAIN COMMISSION    GRANTED    BY  QUEEN    ELIZABETH 

EXPEDITION    AGAINST     THE     SPANISH     POSSESSIONS — EXPLOITS    AT     MOGADOR 

AND     SANTIAGO — CROSSING     THE     LINE ARRIVAL     IN     PATAGONIA — TRIAL    AND 

EXECUTION    OF     DOUGHTY PASSAGE     THROUGH     MAGELLAN'S     STRAIT ADVEN 
TURES     OF     WILLIAM      PITCHER     AND    SEVEN     MEN CAPE     HORN ARRIVAL     AT 

VALPARAISO — RIFLING    OF    A    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 

WE  have  thus  shown  that,  while  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
had  succeeded  triumphantly  in  their  maritime  expeditions,  the 
English  had  disastrously  failed  in  theirs.  The  tropics  were  held 
in  exclusive  possession  by  the  two  former  nations ;  and  the  only  two 

known  routes  by  which  ships  could  sail  thither  were  also  in  their 

239 


240  MAN  UPON  THE  SEA. 

power.  These  two  nations  were  Catholic :  England  was  Pro 
testant,  and  disinherited  therefore,  as  it  seemed,  of  her  lawful 
share  in  the  riches  of  the  world.  She  had  thus  far  wasted  her 
means  and  endangered  the  lives  of  her  citizens  in  fruitless  at 
tempts  to  find  a  route  for  herself,  by  the  northwest  or  the  north 
east,  to  the  lands  of  gold  and  gums.  Baffled  in  these  efforts, 
she  permitted,  if  she  did  not  encourage,  a  certain  class  of  her 
subjects  to  engage  in  a  system  of  warfare  against  Spain  which 
can  be  characterized  by  no  milder  term  than  piracy.  Still, 
those  who  resorted  to  it  adduced  ready  arguments  to  prove  that, 
so  far  from  engaging  in  piratical  practices,  they  were  employed 
in  open  warfare  and  an  honest  cause.  Spain  and  England  were 
in  a  state  of  manifest  enmity,  they  urged,  more  bitter  on  both 
sides  than  if  they  had  been  avowedly  at  war.  No  English  sub 
ject  trading  in  the  Spanish  dominions  was  safe  unless  he  were  a 
Koman  Catholic,  or  unless,  being  a  heretic,  he  succumbed  to  the 
menaces  or  the  tortures  of  the  Holy  Inquisition.  These  out 
rages  were  resented  by  the  English  people  before  they  were 
taken  up  by  the  British  Government;  and  the  injured  parties, 
calling  to  their  aid  all  persons  of  adventurous  spirit  or  shattered 
fortunes,  set  out  upon  the  sea,  if  not  with  the  commission,  at 
least  with  the  connivance,  of  the  crown,  to  avenge  their  wrongs 
themselves.  They  did  not  consider  themselves  to  be  pirates, 
because  of  this  tacit  sanction  given  by  the  Government,  because 
of  the  fact  that  they  carried  on  hostilities,  not  against  all  who 
traversed  the  sea,  but  against  the  Spaniards  only,  and  because 
of  the  risk  they  ran, — for  if  taken  by  the  enemy  they  had  no 
mercy  to  expect.  It  thus  became  the  fashion  in  England  for 
men  of  desperate  fortunes  and  damaged  character  to  seek  to 
retrieve  the  one  and  redeem  the  other  by  cruising  against  the 
Spaniards. 

Among  the  earlier  adventurers  of  this  stamp  was  one  Sir 
John  Hawkins.  His  exploits  were  for  a  time  brilliant  and  suc 
cessful  :  at  last,  however,  they  were  disastrous,  and  one  of  his 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  241 

young  kinsmen,  Francis  Drake  by  name,  was  discreditably  in 
volved.  The  latter  had  embarked  his  whole  means  in  this 
adventure,  and  lost  in  it  all  his  money  and  no  little  reputation, — 
for  he  disobeyed  orders  and  deserted  his  benefactor  and  superior 
in  the  hour  of  need.  He  brought  his  vessel, — the  Judith,  of  fifty 
tons, — however,  safely  home. 

Drake  now  resolved  to  engage  permanently  in  the  lawless  but 
exciting  career  of  which  he  had  lately  witnessed  several  in 
teresting  episodes.  It  was  long  before  he  could  obtain  the 
means  of  fitting  out  an  expedition  under  his  own  command. 
He  at  last  bought  and  equipped  two  vessels, — one  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  tons,  the  other  of  seventy, — manned  them  with  seventy- 
three  men,  and  sailed  for  the  Spanish  dominions  in  America. 
He  attacked  and  took  the  town  of  Nombre  de  Dios,  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien,  but  was  soon  obliged  to  retreat.  He  after 
wards  took  Venta  Cruz,  on  the  same  isthmus,  and  had  the 
good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  three  convoys  of  mules  laden  with 
gold  and  silver,  going  from  Panama  to  Nombre  de  Dios.  He 
carried  off  the  gold  and  buried  the  silver.  From  the  summit 
of  a  mountain  he  obtained  a  sight  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  or  South 
Sea,  which  so  kindled  his  enthusiasm  that  he  uttered  a  fervent 
prayer  that  he  might  be  the  first  Englishman  who  should  sail 
upon  it.  He  was  already  the  first  Englishman  who  had  beheld  it. 

On  his  return  to  England  with  his  treasure,  he  entered  for  a 
time  the  volunteer  service  against  Ireland,  while  waiting  an 
opportunity  to  execute  the  grand  project  he  had  formed.  At 
last,  Sir  Christopher  Hutton,  Vice-Chamberlain  and  Counsellor 
of  the  Queen,  presented  him  to  Elizabeth,  to  whom  Drake  im 
parted  his  scheme  of  ravaging  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the 
South  Sea.  The  queen  listened;  but  whether  she  gave  him  a 
commission,  or  merely  assured  him  of  her  favorable  sentiments, 
is  a  disputed  point.  It  is  alleged  that  she  gave  him  a  sword  and 
pronounced  these  singular  words: — "We  do  account  that  he 

which  striketh  at  thee,  Drake,  striketh  at  us!"     He  fitted  out 

16 


242  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

an  expedition,  at  his  own  cost  and  with  the  help  of  friends  and 
partners  in  the  enterprise,  consisting  of  five  ships, — the  largest, 
the  Pelican,  his  flag-ship,  of  one  hundred  tons,  and  the  smallest 
of  fifteen.  These  vessels  were  manned  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  men.  They  carried  out  the  frames  of  four  pinnaces, 
to  be  put  together  as  occasion  required,  and,  after  the  example 
of  the  Portuguese  in  their  first  Eastern  voyages,  took  with 
them  specimens  of  the  arts  and  civilization  of  their  country, 
with  which  to  operate  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  with  whom 
they  should  come  in  contact.  They  sailed  in  November,  1577, 
but  were  driven  back  by  a  tempest.  The  expedition  finally 
got  to  sea  on  the  13th  of  December. 

At  the  island  of  Mogador,  off  the  coast  of  Barbary,  Drake 
attempted  to  traffic  with  the  Moors,  and  in  an  exchange  of 
hostages  lost  a  man,  who  was  taken  by  the  natives :  they  then 
refused  to  trade,  and  Drake,  after  a  vain  effort  to  recover  the 
sailor,  left  the  island,  and  followed  the  African  coast  to  the 
southward.  Between  Mogador  and  Cape  Blanco  he  took  several 
Spanish  barks  called  canters, — one  of  which,  measuring  forty 
tons,  he  admitted  into  his  fleet,  sending  his  prisoners  off  in  the 
Christopher,  the  pinnace  of  fifteen  tons  and  one  of  the  original 
five  vessels.  He  landed  on  the  island  of  Mayo,  where  the  inhabit 
ants  salted  their  wells,  forsook  their  houses,  and  drove  away 
their  goats.  Off  the  island  of  Santiago  he  took  a  Portuguese 
vessel  bound  for  Brazil,  carrying  numerous  passengers  and 
laden  with  wine.  He  kept  the  pilot,  Nuno  da  Sylva,  gave  the 
passengers  and  crew  a  pinnace,  and  transferred  the  wine  to  the 
Pelican.  The  prize  he  made  one  of  the  fleet,  having  given  her 
a  crew  of  twenty-eight  men. 

At  Cape  Verd  Drake  left  the  African  shore,  and,  steering 
steadily  to  the  southwest,  was  nine  weeks  without  seeing  land. 
When  near  the  equator,  he  prepared  his  men  for  the  change  of 
climate  by  bleeding  them  all  himself.  He  made  the  coast  of 
Brazil  on  the  4th  of  April,  1578, — the  savage  inhabitants 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


243 


making  large  bonfires  at  their  approach,  for  the  purpose,  as 
he  learned  from  Sylva,  of  inducing  their  devils  to  wreck  the 
ships  upon  their  coast.  On  the  27th  he  entered  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata,  and,  sailing  up  the  stream  till  he  found  but  three  fathoms' 
water,  filled  his  casks  by  the  ship's  side.  The  same  night, 
the  Portuguese  prize,  now  named  the  Mary,  and  commanded  by 
John  Doughty,  parted  company,  as  did  two  days  afterwards  the 
Spanish  canter,  which  had  been  named  the  Christopher,  after 
the  pinnace  for  which  she  had  been  exchanged.  Drake,  be 
lieving  them  to  have  concealed  themselves  in  shoal  water,  built 
a  raft  and  set  sail  in  quest  of  them. 


r* 


DRAKE     AND      HIS     RAFT. 


Early  in  June,  Drake  landed  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia, 
where  he  broke  up  the  Swan,  of  fifty  tons,  for  firewood,  having 
taken  every  thing  out  of  her  which  could  be  of  any  use, — his 
object  being  to  lessen  the  number  of  ships  and  the  chances  of 
separation,  and  to  render  his  force  more  compact.  His  men 
easily  killed  two  hundred  and  fifty  seals  in  an  hour,  which  fur 
nished  them  with  very  tolerable  eating.  They  entered  into  very 
pleasant  relations  with  the  natives,  delighting  them  with  the 
sound  of  their  trumpets,  intoxicating  them  with  Canary  wine, 
and  dancing  with  them  in  their  own  savage  and  extravagant 
manner.  The  natives  gave  Drake  a  vexatious  proof  of  their 
agility  and  address,  by  stealing  his  hat  from  his  head  and  baffling 
every  effort  made  to  recover  it.  Shortly  after  sailing  from  this 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


spot,  named  by  Drake  Seal  Bay,  the  fleet  fell  in  with  the  Chris 
topher  again,  which  Drake  ordered  to  be  unloaded  and  set  adrift. 


DRAKE     AND    THE     PATAGONIANS. 


He  soon  met  the  Portuguese  Mary,  and  on  the  20th  the  -whole 
squadron  anchored  in  the  harbor  named  Port  Julian  by  Ma 
gellan.  Intercourse  was  attempted  with  the  Indians,  but  was 
stopped  on  account  of  a  fray  begun  by  the  savages,  in  which 
two  of  the  English  and  one  of  their  own  party  were  killed. 
The  natives  made  no  further  attempt  to  molest  the  strangers 
during  their  two  months'  stay  in  the  harbor. 

A  very  tragical  event  now  followed.  Magellan  had  in  this 
place,  as  we  have  stated,  quelled  a  dangerous  mutiny,  by  hanging 
several  of  a  disobedient  and  rebellious  company.  The  gibbet 
was  still  standing,  and  beneath  it  the  bones  of  the  executed  were 
now  bleaching.  Drake  apprehended  a  similar  peril,  and  was  led 
to  inquire  into  the  actions  of  John  Doughty.  He  found,  in  his 
investigations,  that  Doughty  had  embarked  in  the  enterprise 
rather  in  the  hope  of  rising  to  the  chief  command  than  of  re 
maining  what  he  started. — a  gentleman  volunteer :  he  had  views, 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  245 

it  seemed,  of  supplanting  Drake  by  exciting  a  mutiny,  and  of 
sailing  off  in  one  of  the  ships  upon  his  own  account.  The  com 
pany  were  called  together  and  made  acquainted  with  the  parti 
culars  ;  Doughty  was  tried  for  attempting  to  foment  a  mutiny, 
found  guilty,  and  condemned  to  death  by  forty  commissaries 
chosen  from  among  the  various  crews.  Doughty  partook  of 


DRAKE  CONDEMNING  DOUGHTY. 


the  communion  with  Drake  and  several  of  his  officers,  dined  at 
the  same  table  with  them,  and,  in  the  last  glass  of  wine  he  ever 
raised  to  his  lips,  drank  their  healths  and  wished  them  farewell. 
He  walked  to  the  place  of  execution  without  displaying  unusual 
emotion,  embraced  the  general,  took  leave  of  the  company, 
offered  up  a  prayer  for  the  queen  and  her  realm,  and  was  then 
beheaded  near  Magellan's  gibbet.  Drake  addressed  the  com 
pany,  exhorting  them  to  unity  and  obedience,  and  ordered  them 
to  prepare  to  receive  the  holy  communion  on  the  following  Sab 
bath,  the  first  Sunday  in  the  month. 

This  tragedy  has  been  embellished  by  many  fanciful  ad 
ditions  on  the  part  of  Drake's  apologists,  and  upon  the  part 
of  his  calumniators  by  many  false  statements.  It  is  said  by 
the  former  that  Drake,  after  Doughty's  condemnation,  offered 
him  the  choice  of  three  alternatives, — either  to  be  executed  in 
Patagonia,  to  be  set  ashore  and  left,  or  to  be  sent  back  to  Eng 
land,  there  to  answer  for  his  acts  before  the  Lords  of  her  Ma 
jesty's  Council;  and  that  Doughty  replied  that  he  would  not 


246  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

endanger  his  soul  by  being  left  among  savage  infidels ;  that,  as 
for  returning  to  England,  if  any  one  could  be  found  willing  to 
accompany  him  on  so  disgraceful  an  errand,  the  shame  of  the 
return  would  be  more  grievous  than  death ;   that  he  therefore 
preferred  ending  his  life  where  he  was, — a  choice  from  which  no 
argument  could  persuade  him.     These  assertions  can  hardly  be 
correct,  as  nothing  of  the  kind  is  set  forth  in  the  account  of 
the  voyage  given  by  Fletcher,  the  chaplain  of  the  expedition. 
It  is  highly  improbable  that  Doughty,  if  conscious  of  innocence, 
would  have  rejected  the  offer  of  a  trial  in  England ;  while  it  is 
unlikely  that  the  offer  was  ever  made,  as  Drake  could  ill  spare 
a  ship  in  which  to  send  the  prisoner  home.    Different  opinions  are 
held  in  the  matter  by  different  writers.    Admiral  Burney  thought 
the  statements  too  imperfect  for  forming,  and  the  whole  matter 
too  delicate  to  express,  an  opinion.     Dr.  Johnson  wrote  thus  on 
the  subject: — "What  designs  Doughty  could  have  formed  with 
any  hope  of  success,  or  to  what  actions  worthy  of  death  he  could 
have  proceeded  without  accomplices,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine. 
Nor,  on  the  other  hand,  does  there  appear  any  temptation,  from 
either  hope,  fear,  or  interest,  that  might  induce  Drake,  or  any 
commander   in   his  state,  to   put   to  death   an   innocent  man 
on  false  pretences."     Southey,  in  his  Lives  of  the  Admirals,  is 
disposed  to  consider  Drake  as  justified  in  making  a  severe  ex 
ample.     Harris  is  of  opinion  that  the  act  was  "the  most  rash 
and  blameworthy  of  the  admiral's  career."      Sylva,  Drake's 
Portuguese   pilot,   once   said   that  Doughty  was  punished  for 
attempting  to  abandon  the  expedition  and  return  to  England, 
and  thus  evidently  thought  that  a  sufficient  motive  existed  for 
his  execution.     And  it  is  worth  remarking  that  the  Spaniards, 
who  never  neglected  an  opportunity  of  loading  Drake  with  ob 
loquy,  extolled  him  in  this  case  for  his  vigilance  and  decision. 
Doughty  was  buried  on  an  island  in  the  harbor,  together  with 
the  bodies  of  the  two  men  slain  in  the  fray  with  the  savages. 
The  Portuguese  prize,  being  now  found  leaky  and  trouble- 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  247 

some,  was  broken  up,  the  fleet  being  thus  reduced  to  three. 
On  the  21st  of  August,  Drake  entered  Magellan's  Strait, — 
being  the  second  commander  who  ever  performed  the  voyage 
through  it.  He  cleared  the  channel  in  sixteen  days,  and  entered 
the  South  Sea  on  the  6th  of  September.  Here  the  Marygold 
was  lost  in  a  terrible  storm,  and  the  Elizabeth,  being  separated 
from  Drake's  vessel,  wandered  about  in  search  of  him  for  a  time 
and  then  sailed  for  England,  where  her  captain  was  disgraced 
for  having  abandoned  his  commander.  Drake  was  driven  from 
the  Bay  of  Parting  of  Friends,  as  he  named  the  spot  in  which 
he  lost  sight  of  the  Elizabeth,  and  was  swept  southward  to  the 
coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego,  where  he  was  forced  from  his  anchor 
age  and  obliged  to  abandon  the  pinnace,  with  eight  men  in  it 
and  one  day's  provisions,  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds. 

The  miseries  endured  by  these  eight  men  are  hardly  equalled 
in  the  annals  of  maritime  disaster.  They  gained  the  shore, 
salted  and  dried  penguins  for  food,  and  coasted  on  till  they 
reached  the  Plata.  Six  of  them  landed,  and,  of  these  six,  four 
were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians.  The  other  two  were 
wounded  in  attempting  to  escape  to  the  boat,  as  were  the  two 
who  were  left  in  charge.  These  four  succeeded  in  reaching  an 
island  nine  miles  from  the  coast,  where  two  of  them  died  of 
their  wounds.  The  other  two  lived  for  two  months  upon  crabs 
and  eels,  and  a  fruit  resembling  an  orange,  which  was  the  only 
means  they  had  of  quenching  their  thirst.  One  night  their  boat 
was  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  rocks.  Unable  longer  to  en 
dure  the  want  of  water,  they  attempted  to  paddle  to  land  upon 
a  plank  ten  feet  long.  This  was  the  laborious  work  of  three 
days  and  two  nights.  They  found  a  rivulet  of  fresh  water ;  and 
one  of  them,  William  Pitcher,  unable  to  resist  the  temptation 
of  drinking  to  excess,  died  of  its  effects  in  half  an  hour.  His 
companion  was  held  in  captivity  for  nine  years  by  the  Indians, 
when  he  was  permitted  to  return  to  England. 

Drake,  after  the  loss  of  the  pinnace,  was  driven  again  to  the 


248  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

southward,  and,  in  the  quaint  language  of  the  times,  "fell  in 
with  the  uttermost  part  of  the  land  towards  the  South  Pole, 
where  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  South  Sea  meet  in  a  large 
and  free  scope."  He  saw  the  cape  since  called  Cape  Horn, 
and  anchored  there :  he  gave  the  name  of  Elizabethides  to  all 
the  islands  lying  in  the  neighborhood.  As  he  neither  doubled 
nor  named  this  cape,  it  remained  for  the  daring  navigators 
Schouten  and  Lemaire  to  demonstrate  its  importance,  by  pass 
ing  around  it  from  one  ocean  into  the  other,  which  Drake,  it 
will  be  observed,  had  not  done.  He  went  ashore,  however,  and, 
leaning  over  a  rock  which  extended  the  farthest  into  the  sea, 
returned  to  the  ship  and  told  the  crew  that  he  had  been  farther 
south  than  any  man  living.  He  anchored  at  the  island  of 
Mocha  on  the  29th  of  November,  having  coasted  for  four  weeks 
to  the  northward  along  the  South  American  shore.  He  landed 
with  ten  men,  and  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  took  them 
for  Spaniards.  Two  of  his  men  were  killed,  all  of  them  dis 
abled,  and  he  himself  badly  wounded  with  an  arrow  under  the 
right  eye.  Not  one  of  the  assailants  was  hurt.  Drake  made 
no  attempt  to  take  vengeance  for  this  unprovoked  attack,  as  it 
was  evident  it  was  begun  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  they 
were  Spaniards,  whose  atrocities  had  made  every  native  of  the 
country  their  enemy.  He  sailed  for  Peru  on  the  same  day. 

Early  in  December  he  learned,  from  an  Indian  who  was  found 
fishing  in  his  canoe,  that  he  had  passed  twenty  miles  beyond 
the  port  of  Valhario, — now  Valparaiso ;  and  that  in  this  port  lay 
a  Spanish  ship  well  laden.  Drake  sailed  for  this  place,  where 
he  found  the  ship  riding  at  anchor,  with  eight  Spaniards  and 
three  negroes  on  board.  These,  taking  the  new-comers  for 
friends, — for  the  Spaniards  had  never  yet  seen  an  enemy  in 
this  ocean, — welcomed  them  with  drum  and  trumpet,  and 
opened  a  jar  of  Chili  wine  in  which  to  drink  their  health. 
Thomas  Moore,  the  former  captain  of  the  Christopher  pinnace, 
was  the  first  to  board  the  unsuspecting  craft.  He  laid  lustily 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  249 

about  him,  upon  which  the  principal  Spaniard  crossed  himself 
and  jumped  overboard.  The  rest  were  easily  secured  under  the 
hatches.  The  prize  was  rifled,  and  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  seventy  jars  of  Chili  wine,  sixty  thousand  pieces  of  gold, 
and  a  number  of  strings  of  pearls,  were  taken  from  her.  The 
miserable  town,  consisting  of  nine  families,  who  at  once  fled  to 
the  interior,  was  next  ransacked.  A  poor  little  church  was 
robbed  of  a  silver  chalice,  two  cruets,  and  a  cloth  with  which 
the  altar  was  spread.  A  warehouse  was  forced  to  disgorge  its 
store  of  Chili  wine  and  cedar  planks.  Thus  did  Drake,  armed 
with  the  sanction  of  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  England,  plunder  a 
handful  of  inoffensive  men  securely  anchored  in  a  peaceful 
roadstead,  who  saluted  their  coming  with  music  and  with  wine. 
Thus  did  Drake  commit  sacrilege  in  a  Christian  church,  and 
furnish  the  mess-room  of  his  ship  from  the  spoils  of  a  Catholic 
altar.  Even  Southey  admits  that,  in  this  affair,  Drake  deserves 
no  other  name  than  that  of  pirate.  And  we  shall  see  that  he  de 
served  it  equally  well  throughout  his  stay  upon  the  coast. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

DRAKE'S  EXPLOIT  WITH  A  SLEEPING  SPANIARD — HIS  ACHIEVEMENTS  AT  CALLAO 

BATTLE  WITH  A  TREASURE-SHIP — DRAKE  GIVES  A  RECEIPT  FOR  HER  CARGO 

— INDITES  A  TOUCHING  EPISTLE — HIS   PLANS   FOR  RETURNING  HOME — FRESH 

CAPTURES — PERFORMANCES  AT  GUATULCO  AND  ACAPULCO DRAKE   DISMISSES 

HIS  PILOT EXCEEDING  COLD  WEATHER DRAKE  REGARDED  AS  A  GOD  BY  THE 

CALIFORNIANS — SAILS  FOR  THE  MOLUCCAS VISITS   TERNATE  AND  CELEBES — 

THE  PELICAN  UPON  A  REEF — THE  RETURN  VOYAGE — PROTEST  OF  THE  SPANISH 

AMBASSADOR HE  STYLES  DRAKE  THE  MASTER-THIEF  OF  THE  UNKNOWN  WORLD 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH  ON  BOARD  THE  PELICAN — DRAKE'S  USE  OF  HIS  FORTUNE 

— HIS  DEATH — THE  VOYAGE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS  TO  THE  NORTHWEST. 

A  FORTNIGHT  after  leaving  Valparaiso,  Drake  anchored  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Coquimbo.  The  watering  party  sent  ashore 
had  barely  time  to  escape  from  a  body  of  five  hundred  horse  and 
foot.  At  another  place,  called  Tarapaca,  the  waterers  found  a 
Spaniard  lying  asleep,  and  took  from  him  thirteen  bars  of  silver 
of  the  value  of  four  thousand  ducats.  Southey  states,  as  if  it 
were  a  trait  of  magnanimity,  that  no  personal  injury  vras  offered 
to  the  sleeping  man.  They  next  captured  eight  lamas,  each 
carrying  a  hundred  pounds  of  silver.  At  Arica  they  found  two 
ships  at  anchor,  a  single  negro  being  on  board  of  each :  from 
the  one  they  took  forty  bars  of  silver,  and  from  the  other  two 
hundred  jars  of  wine.  As  the  Pelican  was  more  than  a  match  for 
the  two  negroes,  the  latter  wisely  offered  no  resistance.  Drake 
arrived  at  Callao,  the  port  of  Lima, — Lima  being  the  capital  of 
Peru, — before  it  was  known  that  an  enemy's  ship  had  entered 
the  waters  of  the  Pacific.  He  immediately  boarded  a  bark  laden 
with  silk,  which  he  consented  to  leave  unmolested  on  condition 
250 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  251 

that  the  owner  would  pilot  him  into  Callao,  which  he  did.  Here 
Drake  found  seventeen  ships,  twelve  of  which  had  sent  their 
sails  ashore,  so  that  they  were  as  helpless  as  logs.  He  rifled 
them  of  their  silver,  silk,  and  linen,  and  then  cut  their  cables 
and  let  them  drift  out  to  sea.  Learning  that  a  richly-laden 
treasure-ship,  named  the  Cacafuego,  had  lately  sailed  for  Paita, 
he  at  once  gave  chase.  He  stopped  a  vessel  bound  for  Callao ; 
and  such  was  his  thirst  for  gain,  that  he  took  from  it  a  small 
silver  lamp,  the  only  article  of  value  on  board.  In  a  ship  bound 
to  Panama  he  found  forty  bars  of  silver,  eighty  pounds  of  gold, 
and  a  golden  crucifix  set  with  large  emeralds.  Soon  after  cross 
ing  the  line,  the  Cacafuego  was  discovered  ten  miles  to  seaward, 
by  Drake's  brother  John.  The  Pelican's  sailing  qualities  were 
now  improved  by  what  Sylva,  the  pilot,  calls  a  "pretty  device." 
Empty  jars  were  filled  with  water  and  hung  with  ropes  over  the 
stern,  in  order  to  lighten  her  bow.  The  Spaniard,  not  dreaming 
of  an  enemy,  made  towards  her,  whereupon  Drake  gave  her 
three  broadsides,  shot  her  mainmast  overboard,  and  wounded  her 
captain.  She  then  surrendered.  Drake  took  possession,  sailed 
with  her  two  days  and  two  nights  from  the  coast,  and  then  lay 
to  to  rifle  her.  He  took  from  her  an  immense  quantity  of  pearls 
and  precious  stones,  eighty  pounds  of  gold,  twenty-six  tons  of 
silver  in  ingots,  a  large  portion  of  which  belonged  to  the  king, 
and  thirteen  boxes  of  coined  silver.  The  value  of  this  prize 
was  not  far  from  one  million  of  dollars.  Then,  as  if  he  had 
been  engaged  in  a  legal  commercial  transaction,  Drake  asked 
the  captain  for  his  register  of  the  cargo,  and  wrote  a  receipt  in 
the  margin  for  the  whole  amount ! 

The  prize,  thus  lightened  of  her  metallic  cargo,  was  then 
allowed  to  depart.  Her  captain  received  from  Drake  a  letter  of 
safe  conduct  in  case  he  should  fall  in  with  the  Elizabeth  or  the 
Mary.  This  letter  is  remarkable  for  its  deep  and  touching  piety. 
After  recommending  the  despoiled  captain  to  the  friendly  notice 
of  Winter  and  Thomas,  Drake  concludes  thus: — "I  commit  you 


252  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

all  to  the  tuition  of  Him  that  with  his  blood  hath  redeemed  us, 
and  am  in  good  hope  that  we  shall  be  in  no  more  trouble,  but 
that  he  will  help  us  in  adversity ;  desiring  you,  for  the  passion 
of  Christ,  if  you  fall  into  any  danger,  that  you  will  not  despair 
of  God's  mercy,  for  he  will  defend  you  and  preserve  you  from 
all  peril,  and  bring  us  to  our  desired  haven :  to  whom  be  all 
honor,  and  praise,  and  glory,  forever  and  ever.  Amen. 
"Your  sorrowful  captain, 

"Whose  heart  is  heavy  for  you, 

"FRANCIS  DRAKE." 

Drake  now  considered  his  object  in  these  seas  as  accomplished : 
the  indignities  offered  by  the  Spaniards  to  his  queen  and  country 
were  avenged,  and  their  commerce  was  well-nigh  annihilated. 
He  next  examined  the  various  plans  of  returning  home  with  his 
booty.  He  thought  it  impossible  to  go  back  by  the  way  he  had 
come :  the  whole  coast  of  Chili  and  Peru  was  in  alarm,  and  ships 
had  undoubtedly  been  despatched  to  intercept  him.  Moreover,  the 
season  (for  it  was  now  February,  1579)  was  unfavorable  either 
for  passing  the  Strait  or  for  doubling  the  Cape.  He  might  have 
followed  the  course  of  Magellan,  and  thus  have  circumnavigated 
the  globe ;  but  this  seemed  but  a  paltry  imitation  to  his  daring 
and  inventive  mind.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  discovering  a 
Northwest  Passage  and  returning  to  England  by  the  North  Polar 
Sea.  He  therefore  sailed  towards  the  north,  making  the  coast  of 
Nicaragua  in  the  middle  of  March.  Here  he  captured  a  small 
craft  laden  with  sarsaparilla,  butter,  and  honey.  A  neighboring 
island  supplied  him  with  wood  and  fish :  alligators  and  monkeys 
also  abounded  there.  A  vessel  from  Manilla,  which  he  captured 
while  her  crew  were  asleep,  contributed  to  his  stores  large  quan 
tities  of  muslin,  Chinese  porcelain,  and  silks.  A  negro  taken 
from  this  vessel  piloted  him  into  the  haven  of  Guatulco,  on  the 
coast  of  Mexico,  inhabited  by  seventeen  Spaniards  and  a  few 
negroes.  Drake  ransacked  this  place,  but  boasts  of  no  other 
booty  than  a  bushel  of  silver  coins  and  a  gold  chain  that  Thomas 


MAN   UPON  THE   SEA.  253 

Moon  took  from  the  person  of  the  escaping  governor.  At  Aca- 
pulco  he  found  a  few  Spaniards  engaged  in  trying  and  condemn 
ing  a  parcel  of  the  unhappy  natives.  He  broke  up  the  court, 
and  sent  both  judges  and  prisoners  on  board  his  vessel. 


DRAKE    INTERRUPTING    THE    COURSE    OF    JUSTICE    AT   ACAPULCO. 

Before  leaving  Acapulco,  Drake  put  the  pilot,  Nuno  da  Sylva, 
whom  he  had  taken  at  the  Cape  Verds,  on  board  a  ship  in  the 
harbor,  to  find  his  way  back  to  Portugal  as  best  he  could.  He 
then  sailed  four  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  various  direc 
tions,  till  he  found  himself  in  a  piercingly  cold  climate,  where  the 
meat  froze  as  soon  as  it  was  removed  from  the  fire.  This  was  in 
latitude  forty-eight  north.  So  he  sailed  back  again  ten  degrees 
and  anchored  in  an  excellent  harbor  on  the  California  coast. 
This  harbor  is  considered  by  numerous  authorities  as  the  present 
Bay  of  San  Francisco.  The  natives,  who  had  been  visited  but 
once  by  Europeans, — under  the  Portuguese  Cabrillo,  thirty-seven 
years  before, — had  not  learned  to  distrust  them,  and  readily 
entered  into  relations  of  commerce  and  amity  with  Drake's 
party.  From  the  Indians  the  latter  obtained  quantities  of  an 
herb  which  they  called  tdbak,  and  which  was  undoubtedly  tobacco. 
The  Californians  soon  came  to  regard  the  strangers  as  gods,  and 
did  them  religious  honors.  The  king  resigned  to  Drake  all  title 
to  the  surrounding  country,  and  offered  to  become  his  subject. 
So  he  took  possession  of  the  crown  and  dignity  of  the  said  ter 
ritory  in  the  name  and  for  the  use  of  her  majesty  the  queen. 
The  Californians,  we  are  told,  accompanied  this  act  of  surrender 


254  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

with  a  song  and  dance  of  triumph,  "because  they  were  not  only 
visited  of  gods,  but  the  great  and  chief  god  was  now  become 
their  god,  their  king  and  patron,  and  themselves  the  only  happy 
and  blessed  people  in  all  the  world."  Drake  named  the  country 
New  Albion,  in  honor  of  Old  Albion  or  England.  He  set  up 
a  monument  of  the  queen's  "right  and  title  to  the  same,  namely, 
a  plate  nailed  upon  a  fair  great  post,  whereon  was  engraved  her 
majesty's  name,  with  the  day  and  year  of  arrival."  After 
remaining  five  weeks  in  the  harbor,  Drake  weighed  anchor,  on 
the  23d  of  July,  resolved  to  abandon  any  further  attempt  in 
northern  latitudes,  and  to  steer  for  the  Moluccas,  after  the 
example  of  Magellan. 

On  the  13th  of  October  he  discovered  several  islands  in  latitude 
eight  degrees  north,  and  was  soon  surrounded  with  canoes  laden 
with  cocoanuts  and  fruit.  These  canoes  were  hollowed  out  of  a 
single  log  with  wonderful  art,  and  were  as  smooth  as  polished  horn, 
and  decorated  throughout  with  shells  thickly  set.  The  ears  of 
the  natives  hung  down  considerably  from  the  weight  of  the 
ornaments  worn  in  them.  Their  nails  were  long  and  sharp,  and 
were  evidently  used  as  a  weapon.  Their  teeth  were  black  as 
jet, — an  effect  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  betel-root.  These 
people  were  friendly  and  commercially  inclined.  Drake  visited 
other  groups,  where  the  principal  occupation  of  the  natives  was 
selling  cinnamon  to  the  Portuguese.  At  Ternate,  one  of  the 
Moluccas,  the  king  offered  the  sovereignty  of  the  isles  to  Drake, 
and  sent  him  presents  of  "imperfect  and  liquid  sugar," — 
molasses,  probably, — "  rice,  poultry,  cloves,  and  meal  which  they 
called  sagu,  or  bread  made  of  the  tops  of  certain  trees,  tasting  in 
the  mouth  like  sour  curds,  but  melting  like  sugar,  whereof  they 
made  certain  cakes  which  may  be  kept  the  space  of  ten  years, 
and  yet  then  good  to  be  eaten."  Drake  stayed  here  six  days, 
laid  in  a  large  stock  of  cloves,  and  sailed  on  the  9th  of  November. 
At  a  small  island  near  Celebes,  where  he  set  up  his  forge  and 
caused  the  ship  to  be  carefully  repaired,  he  and  his  men  saw 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  255 

sights  which  they  have  described  in  somewhat  exaggerated 
terms  : — "  tall  trees  without  branches  except  a  tuft  at  the  very 
top,  in  which  swarms  of  fiery  worms,  flying  in  the  air,  made  a 
show  as  if  every  twig  had  been  a  burning  candle ;  bats  bigger 
than  large  hens, — a  very  ugly  poultry ;  cray-fish,  or  land-crabs, 
one  of  which  was  enough  for  four  men,  and  which  dug  huge 
caves  under  the  roots  of  trees,  or,  for  want  of  better  refuge, 
would  climb  trees  and  hide  in  the  forks  of  the  branches."  This 
spot  was  appropriately  named  Crab  Island. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1580,  the  ship  ran  upon  a  rocky  shoal 
and  stuck  fast.  The  crew  were  first  summoned  to  prayers,  and 
then  ordered  to  lighten  the  ship.  Three  tons  of  cloves  were 
thrown  over,  eight  guns,  and  a  quantity  of  meal  and  pulse.  One 
authority  says  distinctly  that  no  gold  or  silver  was  thrown  into 
the  water,  though  it  was  the  heaviest  part  of  the  cargo ;  another 
authority  asserts  the  contrary  in  the  following  passage : — 
"  Conceiving  that  the  best  way  to  lighten  the  ship  was  to  ease 
their  consciences,  they  humbled  themselves  by  fasting,  after 
wards  dining  on  Christ  in  the  sacrament,  expecting  no  other 
than  to  sup  with  him  in  heaven.  Then  they  cast  out  of  their  ship 
six  great  pieces  of  ordnance,  threw  overboard  as  much  wealth 
as  would  break  the  heart  of  a  miser  to  think  of  it,  with  much 
sugar  and  packs  of  spices,  making  a  caudle  of  the  sea  round 
about."  The  ship  was  at  last  freed,  and  started  again  on  her 
way.  Her  adventures  from  this  point  offer  no  very  salient 
features :  she  stopped  at  Java,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
Sierra  Leone.  In  the  latter  place  Drake  saw  troops  of  ele 
phants,  and  oysters  fastened  on  to  the  twigs  of  trees  and  hang 
ing  down  into  the  water  in  strings. 

Drake  arrived  at  Plymouth  after  a  voyage  of  two  years  and 
ten  months.  Like  Magellan,  he  found  he  had  lost  a  day  in 
his  reckoning.  He  immediately  repaired  to  court,  where  he  was 
graciously  received,  his  treasure,  however,  being  placed  in  se 
questration,  to  answer  such  demands  as  might  be  made  upon  it. 


256  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

Drake  was  denounced  in  many  quarters  as  a  pirate,  while  in 
others  collections  of  songs  and  epigrams  were  made,  celebrating 
him  and  his  ship  in  the  highest  terms.  The  Spanish  ambassador, 
Bernardino  de  Mendoza,  who  called  him  the  Master-Thief  of  the 
Unknown  World,  demanded  that  he  should  be  punished  accord 
ing  to  the  laws  of  nations.  Elizabeth  firmly  asserted  her  right 
of  navigating  the  ocean  in  all  parts,  and  denied  that  the  Pope's 
grant  of  a  monopoly  in  the  Indies  to  the  Spaniards  and  Portu 
guese  was  of  any  binding  effect  upon  her.  She  yielded,  how 
ever,  so  far  as  to  restore,  to  the  agent  of  several  of  the  merchants 
whom  Drake  had  despoiled,  large  sums  of  money.  Enough  re 
mained,  however,  to  make  the  expedition  a  remunerating  one 
for  the  captors.  The  queen  then,  in  a  pompous  and  solemn 
ceremony,  gave  to  the  entire  affair  an  official  and  govern 
mental  ratification.  She  ordered  Drake's  ship  to  be  drawn 
up  in  a  little  creek  near  Deptford,  to  be  there  preserved  as  a 
monument  of  the  most  memorable  voyage  the  English  had  ever 
yet  performed.  She  went  on  board  of  her,  and  partook  of 
a  banquet  there  with  the  commander,  who,  kneeling  at  her 
feet,  rose  up  Sir  Francis  Drake.  The  Westminster  students 
inscribed  a  Latin  quatrain  upon  the  mainmast,  of  which  the 
following  lines  are  a  translation  : 

"  Sir  Drake,  •whom  well  the  world's  end  knows,  which  thou  didst  compass  round, 
And  whom  both  poles  of  heaven  saw, — which  north  and  south  do  bound, — 
The  stars  above  will  make  thee  known,  if  men  here  silent  were  : 
The  sun  himself  cannot  forget  his  fellow-traveller." 

The  ship  remained  at  Deptford  till  she  decayed  and  fell  to  pieces : 
a  chair  was  made  from  one  of  her  planks  and  presented  to  the 
University  of  Oxford,  where  it  is  still  to  be  seen. 

Such  was  the  first  voyage  around  the  world  accomplished  by 
an  Englishman.  Drake's  success  awakened  the  spirit  and  genius 
of  navigation  in  the  English  people,  and  may  be  said  to  have 
contributed  in  no  slight  degree  to  the  naval  supremacy  they 
afterwards  acquired.  If,  in  accordance  with  the  manner  of  the 


QUEEN  ELIZABETH   KNIGHTING  DRAKE. 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  257 

times,  he  was  quite  as  much  a  pirate  as  a  navigator,  and  mingled 
plunder  and  piety,  prayer  and  pillage,  in  pretty  equal  pro 
portions,  and  is  to  be  judged  accordingly,  he  at  least  made  a 
noble  use  of  the  fortune  he  had  acquired,  in  aiding  the  queen 
in  her  wars  with  Spain,  and  in  encouraging  the  construction  of 
public  works.  He  built,  with  his  own  resources,  an  aqueduct 
twenty  miles  in  length,  with  which  to  supply  Plymouth  with 
water.  He  died  at  sea,  while  commanding  an  expedition  against 
the  Spanish  West  India  Islands.  He  wrote  no  account  of  his 
adventures  and  discoveries.  A  volume  published  by  Nuno  da 
Sylva,  his  Portuguese  pilot,  whose  statements  were  confirmed  by 
the  officers,  has  served  as  the  basis  of  the  various  narratives  in 
existence. 

We  may  briefly  allude  here  to  an  attempt  made  in  1585,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  English  Government,  by  John  Davis,  a  sea 
man  of  acknowledged  ability,  with  two  ships, — the  Sunshine  and 
Moonshine, — to  discover  the  Northwest  Passage.  After  a  voyage 
of  six  weeks,  he  saw,  in  north  latitude  60°,  a  mountainous  and 
ice-bound  promontory.  It  was  the  southwestern  point  of  Green 
land,  and  he  gave  it  the  name  of  Cape  Desolation,  which  it  still 
retains.  He  now  sailed  to  the  northwest,  discovered  islands, 
coasts,  and  harbors,  to  which  he  gave  appropriate  appellations. 
He  thus  was  the  first  to  enter  the  strait  which  bears  his  name, 
and  beyond  which  Baffin,  thirty  years  later,  was  to  discover  the 
vast  bay  which,  in  its  turn,  was  to  bear  his  name.  Davis  made 
two  subsequent  voyages  to  these  waters  in  search  of  a  passage 
across  the  continent,  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  discovery 
of  Davis'  Strait,  effected  nothing  which  needs  to  be  chronicled 
here.  This  single  discovery,  however,  was  one  of  the  utmost 
importance,  as  it  served  to  stimulate  research  and  to  encourage 
further  effort  in  this  direction.  More  than  two  centuries  were 
nevertheless  destined  to  elapse  before  success  was  to  be  attained. 

17 


m 

6$     . , 


ENGLISH   VESSEL   OF  WAR  OF   THE   FIRST  CLASS— 1600. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

POLICY    OF    QUEEN     ELIZABETH — THOMAS     CAVENDISH — HIS     FIRST    VOYAGE — EX 
PLOITS     UPON     THE     AFRICAN     AND     BRAZILIAN     COASTS PORT     DESIRE PORT 

FAMINE BATTLES    WITH     THE     ARAUCANIANS CAPTURE     OF     PAITA ROBBERY 

OF    A    CHURCH — REPEATED    ACTS     OF     BRIGANDAGE CAPTURE     OF     THE     SANTA 

ANNA THE     RETURN   VOYAGE CAVENDISH'S     ACCOUNT    OF    THE     EXPEDITION 

THE    SPANISH     ARMADA PREPARATIONS      IN    ENGLAND THE    CONFLICT TOTAL 

ROUT    OF    THE    INVINCIBLES PROCESSION    IN    COMMEMORATION    OF    THE    EVENT. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH  had  found  it  to  her  advantage  to  en 
courage  displays  of  public  spirit  in  private  individuals,  and  to 
excite  the  nobles  and  persons  of  fortune  who  were  ambitious 
of  distinction,  as  well  as  the  indigent  in  search  of  employment, 
to  hazard,  the  one  their  wealth,  the  other  their  lives,  in  the 

national  service.     She  thus  derived  benefit  from  a  class  of  peo- 
258 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 


259 


pie  who  had  been  of  little  use  in  any  other  reign.  Many  gentle 
men  of  rank  and  position  devoted  a  portion  of  their  means  to 
harassing  the  Spanish  at  sea,  to  prosecuting  discovery  in  distant 
quarters,  and  to  planting  colonies  upon  savage  coasts.  Among 
the  most  distinguished  of  these  was  Thomas  Cavendish,  of 
Trimley,  near  Ipswich. 

This  gentleman  was  of  an  honorable  family,  and  possessed  a 
large  estate.  He  equipped,  in  1586,  three  ships  of  the  requisite 
burden, — the  largest,  the  Desire,  being  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
tons,  the  lesser,  the  Content,  being  of  sixty,  and  the  least,  the 
Hugh  Gallant,  a  bark  of  forty  tons.  He  provisioned  them  for 
two  years,  and  manned  them  with  one  hundred  and  twenty-three 
officers  and  men,  some  of  whom  had  served  under  Sir  Francis 
Drake.  His  patron,  Lord  Hunsdon,  procured  him  a  commis 
sion  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  thus  assimilating  his  vessels  to 
those  of  the  navy,  and  rendering  his  contemplated  piracies 
legitimate.  Cavendish  sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  21st  of 
July,  directing  his  course  to  the  south  and  touching  upon  the 
coasts  of  Guinea  and  Sierra  Leone.  Here  the  crew  destroyed  a 
negro  town,  in  revenge  for  the  death  of  one  of  their  men,  whom 
the  inhabitants  had  killed  with  a  poisoned  arrow.  Their  course 
across  the  Atlantic  to  the  Brazilian  shore  offers  no  remarkable 


CAVENDISH     IN     BRAZIL. 


features.  They  erected  their  forge  upon  an  island,  where  they 
healed  their  sick  and  built  a  pinnace.  Anchoring  in  a  harbor 
on  the  Patagonian  coast,  Cavendish  named  it  Port  Desire,  after 


260  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

his  flag-ship, — a  name  which  it  still  retains.  He  seems  to  have 
considered  the  savages  to  be  giants,  and  asserts  that  he  saw 
footprints  eighteen  inches  long.  He  entered  the  Strait  at  the 
commencement  of  January,  1587,  and  soon  discovered  a  mise 
rable  and  forlorn  settlement  of  Spaniards.  These  numbered 
twenty-three  men,  being  all  that  remained  of  four  hundred  who 
had  been  left  there  three  years  before,  by  Sarmiento,  to  colonize 
the  Strait.  They  had  lived  in  destitution  for  the  last  eighteen 
months,  being  able  to  procure  no  other  food  than  a  scanty  sup 
ply  of  shell-fish,  except  when  they  surprised  a  thirsty  deer  or 
seized  an  unsuspecting  swan.  They  had  built  a  fortress,  in 
order  to  exclude  all  other  nations  but  their  own  from  the  passage 
of  the  Strait,  but  had  been  compelled  to  leave  it,  owing  to  the 
intolerable  stench  proceeding  from  the  carcasses  of  their  un 
happy  companions  who  died  of  want  or  disease.  Cavendish 
took  the  survivors  on  board,  and  named  the  spot  upon  which 
the  fortress  was  built  Port  Famine. 


Cavendish  entered  the  Pacific  late  in  February,  after  a  tem 
pestuous  passage  from  the  Atlantic  side.  Landing  upon  the 
Chilian  coast,  in  the  country  of  the  Araucanians,  he  received 
a  warm  reception  from  the  natives,  who  mistook  his  men  for 
Spaniards,  by  whom  the  territory  had  been  repeatedly  invaded 
in  search  of  gold.  He  afterwards  undeceived  them,  and  found 
them  willing  to  satisfy  his  wants  when  convinced  that  they  did 
not  belong  to  that  avaricious  and  cruel  people.  In  another 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  261 

place,  inhabited  by  a  Spanish  colony,  he  fought  a  pitched  battle 
with  two  hundred  horsemen,  driving  those  who  were  not  slain 
back  to  the  mountains.  At  another  spot  farther  north,  the  In 
dians  brought  him  wood  and  water  on  their  backs.  In  May  he 
captured  two  prizes,  taking  out  of  them  twenty  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  sugar,  molasses,  calico,  marmalade,  and  hens,  and  then 
burning  them  to  the  water's  edge.  He  seized  upon  the  town 
of  Paita,  which  he  ransacked  and  burned,  carrying  off  a  large 
quantity  of  household  goods  and  twenty-five  pounds'  weight  of 
pieces-of-eight,  or  Spanish  dollars.  Off  the  island  of  Puna  he 
fell  in  with  a  ship  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons ;  but,  being  dis 
appointed  at  finding  her  empty,  he  sank  her  out  of  sheer  spite. 
The  inhabitants  of  Puna  were  Christians,  having  followed  the 
example  of  their  cacique,  who  had  married  a  Spanish  woman  and 
had  thereupon  made  a  profession  of  her  religion.  They  were  rich, 
and  industrious.  Cavendish  pillaged  the  island,  burned  the 
church,  and  carried  off  its  five  bells.  Being  attacked  by  the 
Spaniards  and  natives  combined,  he  fought  a  long  and  bloody 
battle,  after  which  he  ravaged  the  fields  and  orchards,  burned 
four  ships  on  the  stocks,  and  left  the  town  of  three  hundred 
houses  a  heap  of  rubbish.  He  took  a  coasting-ship,  rifled  and 
scuttled  her,  and  compelled  her  captain  to  become  his  pilot. 
He  continued  this  course  of  brigandage  and  piracy  all  along  the 
South  American  and  Mexican  coasts,  destroying  towns,  pillaging 
custom-houses,  and  burning  vessels. 

Early  in  November,  Cavendish,  who  had  been  told  by  the 
pilot  he  had  taken  that  a  vessel  from  the  Philippines  was  ex 
pected,  richly  laden,  at  Acapulco,  lay  in  wait  for  her  off  the 
headland  of  California.  She  was  discovered  on  the  4th,  bearing 
in  for  the  Cape.  She  was  the  Santa  Anna,  of  seven  hundred 
tons,  belonging  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and  commanded  by  the 
Admiral  of  the  South  Sea.  Cavendish  gave  chase,  and,  after  a 
broadside  and  a  volley  of  small-arms,  boarded  her.  He  was 
repulsed,  but  renewed  the  action  with  his  guns  and  musketry. 


262  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

The  Spaniard  was  soon  forced  to  surrender,  and  her  officers, 
going  on  hoard  the  Desire,  gave  an  account  of  her  contents, — 
which  they  stated  at  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  gold,  with  im 
mense  quantities  of  damasks,  silks,  satins,  musk,  and  provisions. 
This  glorious  prize  was  divided  by  Cavendish,  a  mutiny  being 
very  nearly  the  result :  it  was,  however,  prevented  by  the  gene 
rosity  of  the  commander.  The  prisoners  were  set  on  shore  with 
sufficient  means  of  defence  against  the  Indians ;  the  Santa  Anna 
was  burned,  together  with  five  hundred  tons  of  her  goods ;  and 
Cavendish  then  set  sail  for  the  Ladrone  Islands,  five  thousand 
five  hundred  miles  distant. 

He  arrived  at  Guam,  one  of  the  group,  in  forty-five  days,  and 
from  thence  prosecuted  his  homeward  voyage,  through  the  Phi 
lippine  Islands  and  the  Moluccas,  to  Java.  He  passed  the  months 
of  April  and  May,  1588,  in  crossing  the  Indian  Ocean  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  He  touched  at  St.  Helena  early  in  June, 
and,  when  near  the  Azores,  in  September,  heard  from  a  Flemish 
ship  the  news  of  the  total  defeat  of  the  great  Spanish  Armada. 
He  lost  nearly  all  his  sails  in  a  storm  off  Finisterre,  and  re 
placed  them  by  sails  of  silken  grass,  which  he  had  taken  from 
his  prizes  in  the  South  Sea.  The  voyage  of  Cavendish  was  the 
third  that  had  been  performed  round  the  world,  and  was  the 
shortest  of  the  three, — being  accomplished  in  eight  months'  less 
time  than  that  of  Drake. 

Cavendish  at  once  wrote  a  letter  to  Lord  Hunsdon,  in  which 
occurs  the  following  brief  relation  of  his  achievements: — "It 
hath  pleased  the  Almighty  to  suffer  me  to  encompass  all  the 
whole  globe  of  the  world.  I  navigated  along  the  coasts  of 
Chili,  Peru,  and  New  Spain,  where  I  made  great  spoils.  I 
burned  and  sank  nineteen  sail  of  ships,  great  and  small.  All 
the  towns  and  cities  that  ever  I  landed  at  I  burned  and  spoiled, 
and,  had  I  not  been  discovered  upon  the  coast,  I  had  taken 
a  great  quantity  of  treasure.  .  .  .  All  which  services,  together 
with  myself,  1 1  humbly  prostrate  at  her  majesty's  feet,  desiring 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  263 

the  Almighty  long  to  continue  her  reign  among  us ;  for  at  this 
day  she  is  the  most  famous  and  victorious  prince  that  liveth  in 
the  world.  Thus,  humbly  desiring  pardon  for  my  tediousness, 
I  leave  your  lordship  to  the  tuition  of  the  Almighty." 

Cavendish  spent  his  immense  wealth  in  equipping  vessels  for 
a  second  voyage,  which  ended  disastrously,  and  in  which,  after 
being  beaten  by  the  Portuguese  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  he  died 
of  shame  and  grief.  He  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising, 
diligent,  and  cautious  of  the  early  English  navigators,  though, 
of  course,  he  must  be  regarded  as  an  arrant  buccaneer. 

From  what  we  have  said  of  the  piracies  of  the  English,  and 
of  their  encroachments  upon  the  domain  of  the  Spanish,  and 
of  the  ardent  desire  of  the  latter  to  retain  the  monopoly  of  the 
trade  with  the  natives  of  America  and  to  hold  the  exclusive 
right  to  rob  and  slay  them  at  their  pleasure,  the  reader  will  be 
prepared  for  the  imposing  but  bombastic  attempt  made  by  Spain 
against  England  in  1588.  Philip  II.  determined  to  put  forth  his 
strength,  and  his  fleet  was  named,  before  it  sailed,  "  The  most 
Fortunate  and  Invincible  Armada."  It  was  described  in  official 
accounts  as  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  ships,  manned 
by  eight  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  sailors,  and  carrying 
nineteen  thousand  soldiers,  two  thousand  galley-slaves,  and  two 
thousand  six  hundred  pieces  of  brass.  The  vessels  were  named 
from  Romish  saints,  from  the  various  appellations  of  the  Trinity, 
from  animals  and  fabulous  monsters, — the  Santa  Catilina,  the 
Great  Griffin,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  being  profanely  intermixed. 
In  the  fleet  were  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  volunteers  of 
noble  family,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  almoners,  Domini 
cans,  Franciscans,  and  Jesuits.  Instruments  of  torture  were 
placed  on  board  in  large  quantities,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting 
in  the  great  work  of  reconciling  England  to  Romanism.  The 
Spaniards  and  the  Pope  had  resolved  that  all  who  should 
defend  the  queen  and  withstand  the  invasion  should,  with 
all  their  families,  be  rooted  out,  and  their  places,  their  honors, 


264  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

their  titles,  their  houses,  and  their  lands,  be  bestowed  upon  the 
conquerors. 

Elizabeth  and  her  councillors  heard  these  ominous  denuncia 
tions  undismayed,  and  adequate  preparations  were  made  to  re 
ceive  the  crusaders.  London  alone  furnished  ten  thousand  men, 
and  held  ten  thousand  more  in  reserve :  the  whole  land-force 
amounted  to  sixty-five  thousand.  The  fleet  numbered  one 
hundred  and  eighty-one  vessels, — fifty  more  in  number  than  the 
Armada,  but  hardly  half  as  powerful  in  tonnage.  Eighteen  of 
these  vessels  were  volunteers,  and  but  one  of  the  one  hundred 
and  eighty-one  was  of  the  burden  of  eleven  hundred  tons. 
The  Lord  High-Admiral  of  England,  Charles,  Lord  Howard  of 
Effingham,  commanded  the  fleet,  with  Drake,  Hawkins,  and 
Frobisher  in  command  of  the  various  divisions.  A  form  of 
prayer  was  published,  and  the  clergy  were  enjoined  to  read  it 
on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  in  their  parish  churches.  In  this, 
Elizabeth  was  compared  to  Deborah,  preparing  to  combat  the 
pride  and  might  of  Sisera-Philip.  The  country  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  Spaniards  in  anxiety,  and  yet  with  confidence. 

The  Armada  sailed  from  the  Tagus  late  in  May,  with  the 
solemn  blessing  of  the  Church,  and  patronized  by  every  influen- 


HULL     OF    A     VESSEL     OF     THE     ARMADA. 


tial  saint  in  the  calendar.  A  storm  drove  it  back  with  loss,  and 
it  did  not  sail  again  till  the  12th  of  July.  It  was  descried  off 
Plymouth  on  the  20th,  "  with  lofty  turrets  like  castles,  in  front 
like  a  half-moon;  the  wings  thereof  spreading  out  about  the 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  265 

length  of  seven  miles,  sailing  very  slowly,  though  with  full  sails, 
the  winds  being  as  it  were  weary  with  wafting  them,  and  the 
ocean  groaning  under  their  weight."  The  English  suffered  them 
to  pass  Plymouth,  that  they  might  attack  them  in  the  rear. 
They  commenced  the  fight  the  next  day,  with  only  forty  ships. 
The  Spaniards,  during  this  preliminary  action,  found  their  ships 
"very  useful  to  defend,  but  not  to  offend,  and  better  fitted  to 
stand  than  to  move."  Drake,  with  his  usual  luck,  captured  a 
galleon  in  which  he  found  fifty-five  thousand  ducats  in  gold. 
This  sum  was  divided  among  his  crew.  Skirmishing  and  de 
tached  fights  continued  for  several  days,  the  Spanish  ships  being 
found,  from  their  height  and  thickness,  inaccessible  by  boarding 
or  ball.  They  were  compared  to  castles  pitched  into  the  sea. 
The  lord-admiral  was  consequently  instructed  to  convert  eight 
of  his  least  efficient  vessels  into  fire-ships.  The  order  arrived 
as  the  enemy's  fleet  anchored  off  Calais,  and  thirty  hours  after 
wards  the  eight  ships  selected  were  discharged  of  all  that  was 
worth  removal  and  filled  with  combustibles.  Their  guns  were 
heavily  loaded,  and  their  sides  smeared  with  rosin  and  wild-fire. 
At  midnight  they  were  sent,  with  wind  and  tide,  into  the  heart 
of  the  invincible  Armada.  A  terrible  panic  seized  the  affrighted 
crews :  remembering  the  fire-ships  which  had  been  used  but  lately 
in  the  Scheldt,  they  shouted,  in  agony,  "  The  fire  of  Antwerp ! 
The  fire  of  Antwerp !"  Some  cut  their  cables,  others  slipped 
their  hawsers,  and  all  put  to  sea,  "happiest  they  who  could  first 
be  gone,  though  few  could  tell  what  course  to  take."  Some  were 
wrecked  on  the  shallows  of  Flanders ;  some  gained  the  ocean ; 
while  the  remainder  were  attacked  and  terribly  handled  by 
Drake.  The  discomfited  Spaniards  resolved  to  return  to  Spain 
by  a  northern  circuit  around  England  and  Scotland.  The 
English  pursued,  but  the  exhausted  state  of  their  powder-maga 
zines  prevented  another  engagement.  The  luckless  Armada 
never  returned  to  Spain.  A  terrific  storm  drove  the  vessels 
upon  the  Irish  coast  and  upon  the  inhospitable  rocks  of  the 


266 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


Orkneys.  Thirty  of  them  were  stranded  near  Connaught :  two 
had  been  cast  away  upon  the  shores  of  Norway.  In  all,  eighty- 
one  ships  were  lost,  and  but  fifty-three  reached  home.  Out 
of  thirty  thousand  soldiers  embarked,  fourteen  thousand  were 
missing.  Philip  received  the  calamity  as  a  dispensation  of 
Providence,  and  ordered  thanks  to  be  given  to  God  that  the 
disaster  was  no  greater. 

A  day  of  thanksgiving  was  proclaimed  in  England,  inasmuch 
as  "the  boar  had  put  back  that  sought  to  lay  her  vineyard 
waste."  Some  time  afterwards,  the  queen  repaired  in  public 
procession  to  St.  Paul's.  The  streets  were  hung  with  blue  cloth ; 


PROCESSION     IN     HONOR     OF     THE     DEFEAT     OF     THE     ARMADA. 

the  royal  chariot  was  a  throne  with  four  pillars  and  a  canopy 
overhead,  drawn  by  white  horses.  Elizabeth  knelt  at  the 
altar  and  audibly  acknowledged  the  Almighty  as  her  deliverer 
from  the  rage  of  the  enemy.  The  people  were  exhorted  to 
render  thanks  to  the  Most  High,  whose  elements — fire,  wind,  and 
storm — had  wrought  more  destruction  to  the  foe  than  the  valor 
of  their  navy  or  the  strength  of  their  wooden  walls. 


SIR     WALTER     RALEIGH. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    FICTION    OF    EL    DORADO — MANOA — DESCRIPTION      OF     ITS    FABLED     SPLEN 
DORS — ATTEMPTS  OF  THE   SPANIARDS    TO  DISCOVER  IT — SIR  WALTER  RALEIGH 

HIS    VOTAGE     TO     GUIANA — HIS     ACCOUNT     OF     THE     ORINOCO — HIS     DESCRIP 
TION    OF    THE    SCENERY — HIS     RETURN HIS     SECOND    VOTAGE EXPEDITION    TO 

NEWFOUNDLAND — HIS    DEATH — MODERN    INTERPRETATION    OF    THE    LEGEND    OF 
EL   DORADO. 

THE  mines  of  the  precious  metals  which  the  Spaniards  had 
discovered  in  Peru,  the  wealth  which  they  annually  brought 
home  in  treasure-ships  to  the  mother-country,  together  with  the 
exaggerated  accounts  given  by  Spanish  authors  respecting  the 
splendor  and  the  civilization  of  the  empire  of  the  Incas,  had 
now  begun  to  excite  the  cupidity  and  inflame  the  imagination  of 

every  other  people  in  Europe.     It  was  known  that,  at  the  time 

267 


268  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  the  conquest  of  Peru  by  Pizarro,  a  large  number  of  the  natives 
escaped  into  the  interior ;  and  rumor  added  that  one  of  the  sons 
of  the  reigning  Inca  had  withdrawn  across  the  continent  to  a 
region  situated  between  the  Amazon  and  the  Orinoco  and  called 
by  the  general  name  of  Guiana.  Here  he  had  founded,  it  was 
added,  an  empire  more  splendid  than  that  of  Peru:  its  capital 
city,  Manoa,  only  one  European  had  seen.  This  was  a  Spaniard, 
a  marine  on  board  a  man-of-war,  who,  according  to  the  legend, 
had  allowed  a  powder-magazine  to  explode  and  was  condemned 
to  death  for  his  carelessness.  This  penalty  was  commuted,  how 
ever,  and  he  was  placed  in  a  boat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
Tvith  orders  to  penetrate  into  the  interior.  He  stayed  seven 
months  at  Manoa,  and  then  escaped  to  Porto  Rico.  He  gave 
the  following  account  of  the  city  and  kingdom,  the  latter  being 
called,  he  said,  El  Dorado,  or  The  Gilded : 

The  columns  of  the  emperor's  palace  were  of  porphyry  and 
alabaster,  the  galleries  of  ebony  and  cedar,  and  golden  steps 
led  to  a  throne  of  ivory.  The  palace,  which  was  built  of  white 
marble,  stood  upon  an  island  in  a  lake  or  inland  sea.  Two 
towers  guarded  the  entrance  :  between  them  was  a  pillar  twenty- 
five  feet  in  height,  upon  which  was  a  huge  silver  moon.  Beyond 
was  a  quadrangle  planted  with  trees,  and  watered  by  a  silver 
fountain  which  spouted  through  four  golden  pipes.  The  gate 
of  the  palace  was  of  copper.  Within,  four  lamps  burned  day 
and  night  before  an  altar  of  silver  upon  which  was  a  burnished 
golden  sun.  Three  thousand  workmen  were  employed  in  the 
Street  of  the  Silversmiths. 

The  name  of  El  Dorado,  as  applied  to  the  kingdom  of  which 
Manoa  was  the  metropolis,  may  refer  to  its  wealth  and  splendor, 
or  it  may  be  derived  from  a  habit  attributed  by  some  to  the 
emperor,  by  others  to  the  high-priests,  and  even  to  the  inhabit 
ants  generally  when  in  a  state  of  intoxication.  This  custom 
was  to  cause  themselves  to  be  anointed  with  a  precious  and 
fragrant  gum,  after  which  gold-dust  was  blown  upon  them 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  269 

through  tubes,  till  they  were  completely  incrusted  with  gold. 
This  attire  was  naturally  considered  sumptuous,  and,  in  connec 
tion  with  the  abundance  of  precious  metals  afforded  by  the 
country,  may  have  given  rise  to  the  title  of  El  Dorado.  The 
legend,  in  either  case,  is  a  worthy  companion  to  Ponce  de  Leon's 
Fountain  of  Youth. 

No  geographical  fiction  ever  caused  such  an  expenditure  of 
blood  and  treasure  as  this.  The  Spaniards  alone  lost,  in  their 
attempts  to  discover  the  city  of  Manoa,  more  lives  and  money 
than  in  effecting  any  of  their  permanent  conquests.  JSTew  ad 
venturers  were  always  ready  to  start,  upon  the  discomfiture  or 
destruction  of  those  who  had  gone  before ;  and  no  disappoint 
ment  suffered  by  the  latter  could  daunt  the  hopes  of  those  who 
believed  the  discovery  reserved  for  them.  The  Spanish  priests 
regarded  the  mania  as  a  device  of  the  Evil  One  to  lure  mankind 
to  perdition. 

The  greater  portion  of  these  persons  were  adventurers, 
soldiers  of  fortune,  and  Quixotic  knights-errant.  The  most 
distinguished  of  the  converts  to  a  belief  in  the  existence  of  an 
El  Dorado,  however,  it  would  be  unjust  to  class  among  them. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  an  Englishman  of  the  highest  talent  and 
character,  after  having  enjoyed  the  favor  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
for  twenty  years,  lost  it  by  an  intrigue  with  a  lady  of  the 
palace.  Though  he  repaired  the  injury  by  marrying  the  lady, 
he  found  he  could  not  expect  to  be  restored  to  grace  except  by 
performing  some  exploit  which  should  add  new  lustre  to  his 
name.  He  had  long  been  filled  with  admiration  at  the  courage 
and  perseverance  exhibited  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  pursuit  of 
their  romantic  and  brilliant  chimera.  As  he  himself  firmly  be 
lieved  it  to  be  a  reality,  he  determined  to  make  an  attempt  him 
self.  A  part  of  his  design  was  to  colonize  Guiana,  and  thus  to 
extend  the  sphere  of  the  industrial  and  commercial  arts  of 
England.  He  was  familiar  with  the  sea,  as  he  had  already 


270  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

sent  out  several  expeditions  for  the  colonization  of  Virginia  in 
America. 

He  sailed  from  Plymouth  in  February,  1595,  with  five  vessels 
and  a  hundred  soldiers.  In  order  to  reach  the  capital  city  of 
Guiana,  it  was  necessary  to  ascend  the  Orinoco,  the  navigation 
of  which  was  completely  unknown  to  the  English.  As  the  ships 
drew  too  much  water,  a  hundred  men  embarked  with  Raleigh  in 
boats  and  proceeded  up  the  stream.  In  these  they  remained 
for  a  month,  exposed  to  all  the  extremes  of  a  tropical  climate, 
— sometimes  to  the  heats  of  a  burning  sun,  and  again  to  violent 
and  torrential  rains.  Raleigh's  account  of  their  progress 
through  the  labyrinth  of  islands  and  channels  at  the  river's 
mouths,  of  their  precarious  supplies  of  food  and  water,  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  country  and  the  manners  of  the  natives,  and, 
finally,  of  their  entrance  into  the  grand  bed  of  the  superb  Ori 
noco,  has  been  admired  for  its  descriptive  beauty  as  well  as  ridi 
culed  for  its  extravagant  credulity.  Indeed,  it  is  doubted  by 
many  whether  Raleigh  really  believed  the  stories  which  he  put 
in  circulation.  We  quote  a  passage : 

"Those  who  are  desirous  to  discover  and  to  see  many  nations," 
he  writes,  "may  be  satisfied  within  this  river;  which  bringeth 
forth  so  many  arms  and  branches  leading  to  several  countries 
and  provinces,  above  two  thousand  miles  east  and  west,  and  of 
these  the  most  either  rich  in  gold,  or  in  other  merchandises. 
The  common  soldier  shall  here  fight  for  gold,  and  pay  himself, 
instead  of  pence,  with  plates  of  gold  half  a  foot  broad,  whereas 
he  breaketh  his  bones  in  other  wars  for  provant  and  penury. 
Those  commanders  and  chieftains  who  shoot  at  honor  and  abun 
dance  shall  find  here  more  rich  and  beautiful  cities,  more  tem 
ples  adorned  with  golden  images,  more  sepulchres  filled  with  trea 
sure,  than  either  Cortez  found  in  Mexico  or  Pizarro  in  Peru ;  and 
the  shining  glory  of  this  conquest  will  eclipse  all  those  so-far- 
extended  beams  of  the  Spanish  nation.  There  is  no  country 
which  yieldeth  more  pleasure  to  the  inhabitants,  for  those  com- 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  271 

mon  delights  of  hunting,  hawking,  fishing,  fowling,  and  the  rest, 
than  Guiana  does.  I  am  resolved  that,  both  for  health,  good 
air,  pleasure,  and  riches,  it  cannot  be  equalled  by  any  region 
in  the  East  or  West.  To  conclude :  Guiana  is  a  country  that 
hath  yet  her  maidenhead,  never  sacked,  turned,  nor  wrought. 
The  face  of  the  earth  hath  not  been  torn,  nor  the  virtue  and  salt 
of  the  soil  spent ;  the  graves  have  not  been  opened  for  gold, 
the  mines  not  broken  with  sledges,  nor  the  images  pulled  down 
out  of  their  temples.  It  hath  never  been  entered  by  any  army 
of  strength,  nor  conquered  by  any  Christian  prince.  .  .  . 
I  trust  that  He  who  is  Lord  of  lords  will  put  it  into  her  heart 
who  is  Lady  of  ladies  to  possess  it.  If  not,  I  will  judge  those 
most  worthy  to  be  kings  thereof  that  by  her  grace  and  leave 
will  undertake  it  of  themselves." 

Raleigh  ascended  the  stream  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  when 
the  rapid  and  terrific  rise  of  its  waters  compelled  him  to  re 
turn.  He  took  formal  possession  of  the  country,  and  made  the 
caciques  swear  allegiance  to  Queen  Elizabeth.  He  returned  to 
England  during  the  summer,  having  been  but  five  months  ab 
sent.  It  was  then  that  he  published  the  narrative  from  which 
we  have  quoted. 

His  restoration  to  favor  precluded  any  further  prosecution  of 
his  designs  on  Guiana  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  He  was 
imprisoned  for  thirteen  years  during  the  reign  of  James,  her 
successor,  for  the  crime  of  high-treason  and  supposed  participa 
tion  in  the  plot  to  place  Lady  Arabella  Stuart  on  the  throne. 
In  1617,  he  equipped  a  fleet  of  thirteen  vessels  in  which  to  pro 
ceed  to  Guiana  for  the  purpose  of  again  seeking  El  Dorado. 
The  fleet  arrived  in  safety,  but  Raleigh  was  too  unwell  to  ascend 
the  Orinoco  in  person.  Captain  Keymis  led  the  exploring 
party,  and,  upon  being  compelled  to  return  to  the  ship  without 
success,  and  with  the  news  of  the  death  in  battle  of  Sir  Walter's 
eldest  son,  committed  suicide.  Raleigh  sailed  to  Newfoundland 
to  victual  and  refit ;  but  a  mutiny  of  the  crews  forced  him  to  re- 


272  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

turn  to  England,  where  he  was  beheaded  for  the  crime  already 
punished  by  thirteen  years'  confinement. 

Modern  historians  and  travellers,  and  men  of  judgment  and 
intelligence  who  have  inhabited  the  regions  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Orinoco,  have  not  hesitated  to  avow  their  opinion  that  the  story 
of  El  Dorado  is  not  without  some  sort  of  foundation  in  fact. 
Humboldt  accounts  for  it  geologically,  and  holds  the  ardent 
imagination  of  the  Indians  to  be  answerable  for  the  fable.  He 
conjectures  that  there  may  be  islands  and  rocks  of  micaslate 
and  talc  in  and  around  Lake  Parhna,  which,  reflecting  from  their 
surfaces  and  angles  the  glowing  rays  of  the  sun,  may  have  been 
transformed  by  the  extravagant  fancy  of  the  natives  into  the 
gorgeous  temples  and  palaces  of  a  gilded  metropolis.  He  at 
tempted  to  penetrate  to  the  spot,  but  was  prevented  by  a  tribe 
of  Indian  dwarfs.  No  European  has  ever  yet  visited  this  cele 
brated  locality:  its  great  distance  from  the  sea,  the  trackless 
forests,  the  wild  beasts  and  barbarian  inhabitants,  have  repelled 
both  the  conqueror  and  the  explorer,  so  that  it  is  not  known 
to  this  day  what  degree  or  what  kind  of  authority  exists  for  the 
extraordinary  story  in  question.  But,  inasmuch  as  Cortez 
passed  within  ten  miles  of  the  wonderful  city  of  Copan  without 
hearing  of  it,  the  supposition  that  there  may  be  aboriginal  cities 
in  the  unexplored  regions  of  South  America,  affording,  perhaps, 
basis  sufficient  for  the  tale  of  El  Dorado  without  its  exaggera 
tions,  is  neither  impossible  nor  improbable.  The  magnificent 
ruins  lately  discovered  in  Yucatan,  where  they  were  not  ex 
pected,  seem  to  argue  the  existence  of  others  in  regions  where 
positive  and  persistent  tradition  has  located  them. 


NATIVE    OF    THE    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

DISCOVERT  OF  THE  SOLOMON  ISLANDS  BY  MENDANA— HE  SEEKS  FOE  THEM 
AGAIN  THIRTY  YEARS  LATER — QUIROS — THE  MARQUESAS  ISLANDS — THE  WOMEN 
COMPARED  WITH  THOSE  OF  LIMA — STRANGE  FRUITS — CONVERSIONS  TO  CHRIS 
TIANITY — ARDUOUS  VOYAGE — SANTA  CRUZ — MENDANA  EXCHANGES  NAMES  WITH 
MALOPfi — HOSTILITIES — WAR,  AND  ITS  RESULTS — DEATH  OF  MENDANA — QUIROS 
CONDUCTS  THE  SHIPS  TO  MANILLA. 

THE  progress  of  discovery  now  recalls  us  to  Spain.  About 
the  year  1567,  one  Alvaro  Mendana  de  Neyra,  who  had  thus 
far  lived  in  complete  obscurity,  followed  his  uncle  Don  Pedro  de 
Castro  to  Lima,  in  Peru,  where  he  had  been  appointed  governor. 
Mendana,  disdaining  commerce,  and  feeling  little  inclination  to 
lead  a  monotonous  life  on  shore,  after  the  taste  he  had  had  during 
the  passage  of  a  roving  existence  upon  the  water,  resolved  to 
undertake  the  discovery  of  new  lands  in  the  name  of  the  King 


18 


273 


274  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  Spain.  His  uncle  encouraged  him  in  his  design  and  furnished 
him  with  the  necessary  funds.  Mendana  set  sail  from  Callao 
on  the  llth  of  January,  1568.  He  proceeded  fourteen  hundred 
and  fifty  leagues  to  the  west,  and  discovered  a  group  of  islands 
in  about  10°  south  latitude.  One  of  them,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Isabella,  is  distinguished  as  having  been  the  scene  of 
the  first  celebration  of  a  Catholic  mass  in  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
He  sailed  round  another  of  the  group,  St.  Christopher,  and, 
after  several  disastrous  encounters  with  the  natives,  returned  to 
Callao.  This  voyage,  the  most  important  undertaken  by  the 
Spanish  since  the  discovery  of  America,  gave  rise  to  multitudes 
of  fables,  with  which  the  historians  and  chroniclers  of  Spain 
filled  the  minds  of  the  people  during  the  century  which  followed. 
The  islands  discovered  by  Mendana  were  represented  as  enor 
mously  rich  in  gold  and  the  precious  metals.  The  name  of 
Solomon  was  given  to  the  group, — a  name  which  was  thought  to 
be  eminently  suited  to  so  luxurious  an  archipelago,  having  for 
merly  been  that  of  a  luxurious  prince.  As  in  those  days  the 
art  of  scientific  navigation  was  in  its  infancy,  and  as  latitude 
and  longitude  were  not  fixed  with  any  great  degree  of  precision, 
the  position  of  the  Solomon  Islands  was  very  loosely  marked 
down  by  Mendana,  and  the  question  of  their  locality  became, 
and  for  a  long  time  remained,  one  of  the  most  puzzling  questions 
in  geography. 

Mendana  sent  home  to  the  Spanish  Government  brilliant  ac 
counts  of  his  discoveries,  and  solicited  the  means  of  prosecuting 
them  still  further.  War  and  other  engagements  prevented  the 
ministry  from  attending  to  his  requests  till  the  year  1595,  when 
he  obtained  the  command  of  an  expedition  having  for  its  object 
the  colonization  of  St.  Christopher.  He  sailed  from  Callao  in 
April  with  four  ships  carrying  four  hundred  men:  his  wife, 
Isabel  de  Barretos,  and  three  of  his  brothers-in-law,  accompanied 
him.  Pedro  Fernandez  de  Quiros,  of  whom  we  shall  afterwards 
speak  more  particularly,  was  the  pilot  of  the  fleet.  They 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  275 

stopped  at  Paita,  where  they  watered  and  enlisted  four  hundred 
additional  men,  and  on  the  16th  of  June  finally  started  in  quest 
of  the  long-lost  islands.  A  month  afterwards,  being  in  latitude 
11°  south,  Mendana  discovered  a  group  of  three  islands,  to 
which  he  gave  a  collective  name  as  well  as  individual  names. 
He  called  them  Las  Marquesas  de  MendoQa,  in  honor  of  the 
Marquis  of  Mendo^a,  a  Spaniard  of  distinction.  They  are  still 
known  as  the  Marquesas  Islands.  The  natives  manifested  a 
remarkably  thievish  disposition,  and  received  several  rounds  of 
grape  for  pilfering  the  jars  of  the  watering  party  who  had  gone 
ashore.  Though  the  chronicler  draws  a  comparison  in  speaking 
of  the  women,  he  yet  skilfully  contrives  to  compliment  all  parties 
mentioned.  He  says,  "Very  fine  women  were  seen  here.  Many 
thought  them  as  beautiful  as  those  of  Lima,  but  whiter  and  not 
so  rosy;  and  yet  there  are  very  beautiful  at  Lima.  They  have 
delicate  hands,  genteel  body  and  waiste,  exceeding  much  in  per 
fection  the  most  perfect  of  Lima  ;  and  yet  there  are  very  beau 
tiful  at  Lima.  The  temperament,  health,  strength,  and  corpu 
lency  of  these  people  tell  what  is  the  climate  they  live  in :  cloaths 
could  well  be  borne  with  night  and  day ;  the  sun  did  not  molest 
much ;  there  fell  some  small  showers  of  rain.  Our  people  never 
perceived  lightning  or  dew,  but  great  dryness,  so  that,  without 
hanging  up,  they  found  dry  in  the  morning  the  things  which 
were  left  wet  on  the  ground  at  night."  A  singular  fruit  was 
noticed,  which  the  men  eat  green,  roasted,  boiled,  and  ripe.  It 
had  neither  stone  nor  kernel,  and  the  Spaniards  called  it  blanc 
mange.  They  likewise  admired  another  fruit  "inclosed  in 
prickles  like  chestnuts,  and  which  resembled  chestnuts  in  taste, 
but  was  much  bigger  than  six  chestnuts  together."  Mendana 
ordered  a  grand  mass  to  be  said,  during  which  the  islanders 
remained  on  their  knees  with  great  silence  and  attention. 

Mendana  took  possession  of  the  islands  in  the  king's  name, 
and  sowed  maize  in  many  spots  which  he  thought  favorable  to 
its  growth.  The  chaplain  taught  one  of  the  natives  to  bless 


276  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

himself  and  say  Jesus  Maria.  This  being  done,  the  shallop 
being  refitted,  three  crosses  erected,  and  wood  and  water  having 
been  stored,  the  squadron  set  sail  again  for  the  still-missing 
archipelago.  The  soldiers  soon  became  despondent,  and  the 
crews  were  placed  upon  short  allowance.  Fourteen  hundred 
leagues  from  Lima  they  saw  a  desert  island,  which  they  called 
St.  Bernardo ;  and  at  fifteen  hundred  and  thirty-five  leagues' 
distance  they  named  an  island  the  Solitary,  "as  it  was  alone." 
Thus  they  continued  their  course,  "many  people  giving  their 
sentiments,  and  saying  they  knew  not  whither  they  were  going 
nor  what  they  were  coming  to,  and  other  such  things,  which  could 
not  fail  of  giving  pain."  At  last,  when  eighteen  hundred  leagues 
from  Lima,  they  fell  in  with  a  large  island,  one  hundred  miles 
in  circuit,  which  Mendana  named  Santa  Cruz — since  called 
Egmont  Island  by  Carteret.  Here  was  a  volcano,  "  of  a  very 
fine-shaped  hill,  from  the  top  whereof  issues  much  fire,  and 
which  often  makes  a  great  thundering  inside."  Fifty  small 
boats  rigged  with  sails  came  out  to  the  ship.  The  men  were 
black,  with  woolly  hair,  dyed  white,  red,  and  blue.  Their  teeth 
were  tinged  red,  and  their  faces  and  bodies  marked  with  streaks. 
Their  arms  were  bound  round  with  bracelets  of  black  rattan, 
while  their  necks  were  decorated  with  strings  of  beads  and 
fishes'  teeth.  Mendana  at  once  took  them  for  the  people  he 
sought.  He  spoke  to  them  in  the  language  he  had  learned 
upon  his  first  voyage ;  but  they  neither  understood  him,  nor  he 
them.  Without  provocation,  they  discharged  a  shower  of  arrows 
at  the  ship,  which  lodged  in  the  sails  and  the  rigging, — without, 
however,  doing  any  mischief.  The  soldiers  fired  in  return,  kill 
ing  one  and  wounding  many  more. 

Friendly  relations  were  soon  restored,  and  a  savage,  ap 
parently  of  high  rank,  visited  the  admiral  in  his  ship.  He  was 
lean  and  gray -headed,  and  his  skin  was  of  the  "color  of  wheat." 
He  inquired  who  was  the  chief  of  the  new-comers.  The  ad 
miral  received  him  with  cordiality,  and  gave  him  to  understand 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  277 

that  he  was.  The  Indian  said  his  name  was  Malope*.  The  ad 
miral  replied  that  his  was  Mendana.  Malope*  at  once  rejoined 
that  he  would  be  Mendana,  and  that  the  admiral  should  be 
Malope'.  He  manifested  much  gratification  at  this  exchange, 
and,  whenever  he  was  called  Malope',  said,  "No:  Mendana;" 
and,  pointing  to  the  admiral,  said  that  was  Malope*.  This  was 
probably  the  first  instance  of  an  exchange  of  names — one  of 
the  most  solemn  acts  of  friendship  with  certain  tribes  of  the 
Pacific  Islanders — being  effected  between  a  European  and  a 
savage.  The  natives  soon  learned  to  shake  hands,  to  embrace, 
to  say  "  friend,"  to  shave  with  razors,  and  to  pare  their  nails 
with  scissors.  This  state  of  amity  did  not  last  long,  however, 
and  a  trivial  circumstance  caused  suspicion,  and  finally  hostility. 
The  savages  commenced  with  arrows,  and  the  Spaniards  re 
taliated  with  fire  and  sword.  In  the  evening,  Malope*  came  to 
the  shore,  and,  in  a  loud  voice,  called  the  admiral  by  the  name 
of  Malope*,  and,  smiting  his  breast,  declared  himself  to  be  Men 
dana.  He  said  the  attack  had  been  begun  by  another  tribe, 
not  his,  and  proposed  they  should  all  sally  forth  against  them. 
To  this  Mendana  did  not  accede,  but,  landing  his  men,  pro 
ceeded  to  found  a  colony. 

At  this  point  the  details  furnished  by  the  several  chroniclers 
of  the  expedition  become  vague  and  unsatisfactory.  It  appears 
that  Malope*  was  killed  in  a  skirmish ;  that  the  natives  were  not 
content  with  merely  lamenting  his  death,  but  withheld  all  supplies 
from  the  Spaniards  ;  that  Mendana  caused  two  mutineers  to  be 
beheaded  and  another  to  be  hung.  A  war  of  extermination 
now  commenced,  and  a  state  of  sedition,  misery,  and  want 
ensued,  which  brought  Mendana  rapidly  to  the  grave.  He 
died  of  disappointment  and  regret,  in  October,  1595.  His  suc 
cessor,  being  wounded,  died  in  November.  The  crew,  worn  out 
with  fatigue  and  sickness,  and  being  reduced  to  such  an  extent 
that  twenty  resolute  Indians  could  have  destroyed  them,  re 
solved  to  suspend  the  enterprise  and  re-embark.  They  took  in 


278  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

wood  and  water,  and  sailed  on  the  7th  of  November.  Quiroa 
maintained  discipline  among  a  mutinous  crew,  and,  after  almost 
superhuman  efforts  to  navigate  his  crazy  ships  upon  an  unknown 
sea,  arrived  with  the  remains  of  the  expedition  at  Manilla. 
From  thence  Quiros — whose  adventures  and  discoveries  we 
shall  soon  have  occasion  to  narrate — returned  to  Acapulco,  in 
Mexico,  and  thence  to  Lima,  where  he  petitioned  the  viceroy  for 
the  means  of  continuing  the  researches  of  Mendana.  As  he 
did  not  set  sail  till  1606,  we  must  first  .attend  to  the  various 
enterprises  undertaken  in  the  interval. 


THE     DUTCH     AT    WALRUS     ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

ATTEMPTS  OF  THE  DUTCH  TO  DISCOVER  A  NORTHEAST  PASSAGE — VOYAGE  OF 
WILHELM  BARENTZ — ARRIVAL  AT  NOVA  ZEHBLA WINTER  QUARTERS — BUILD 
ING  A  HOUSE — FIGHTS  WITH  BEARS — THE  SUN  DISAPPEARS THE  CLOCK 

STOPS,    AND    THE    BEER   FREEZES THE    HOUSE    IS    SNOWED    UP THE    HOT-ACHK 

FOX-TRAPS TWELFTH     NIGHT — RETURN      OF     THE     SUN — THE      SHIPS     PROVE 

UNSEAWORTHY PREPARATIONS       TO       DEPART       IN.    THE       BOATS — DEATH       OF 

BARENTZ — ARRIVAL    AT    AMSTERDAM RESULTS    OF    THE    VOYAGE. 

IN  the  year  1514,  the  Dutch  resolved  to  seek  a  northeast 
passage  by  water  to  the  Indies,  across  the  Polar  regions  of 
Europe.  Their  first  two  attempts  were  attended  with  so  little 
success  that  the  States-General  abandoned  the  undertaking, 
contenting  themselves  with  promising  a  reward  to  the  navigator 
who  should  find  a  practicable  route.  In  1596,  the  city  of 
Amsterdam  took  up  the  matter  where  the  Government  had  left 
it,  and  equipped  two  vessels,  the  chief  command  of  which  was 
given  to  Wilhelm  Barentz.  He  started  on  the  10th  of  May, 
and  passed  the  islands  of  Shetland  and  Feroe  on  the  22d.  Not 
long  after,  the  fleet  saw  with  wonder  one  of  the  phenomena 
peculiar  to  the  Arctic  regions, — three  mock  suns,  with  circular 
rainbows  connecting  them  by  a  luminous  halo.  On  the  9th  of 

June,  they  discovered  two  islands,  to  which  they  gave  the  names 

279 


280  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

of  Bear  and  Walrus  Islands.  They  kept  on,  to  the  usual  Arctic 
accompaniment  of  icebergs,  seals,  aurorse  boreales,  whales,  and 
white  bears,  till  they  came  to  a  land  which  they  named  Spitz- 
bergen,  or  Land  of  Sharp-peaked  Mountains. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  they  arrived  at  Nova  Zembla, — dis 
covered  in  1553  by  Willoughby, — and  here  the  two  ships  were 
accidentally  separated.  In  August,  the  vessel  of  Barentz  was 
embayed  in  drifting  ice,  and  no  efforts  could  release  her  from 
her  dangerous  position.  Winter  was  coming  on,  and  the  crew, 
despairing  of  saving  the  ship,  which  was  now  groaning  and 
heaving  under  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  resolved  to  build  a  house 
upon  the  land,  "with  which  to  defend  themselves  from  the  colde 
and  wilde  beasts."  They  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  large 
quantity  of  drift-wood,  which  had  evidently  floated  from  a  dis 
tance,  as  the  icy  soil  around  them  yielded  neither  tree  nor  herb. 
The  work  began  and  continued  in  the  midst  of  constant  fights 
with  bears  and  the  arduous  labor  of  dragging  stores  from  the 
ship  upon  hand-sleds.  The  cold  was  so  extreme  that  their  skin 
peeled  off  upon  touching  any  iron  utensil.  Snow  storms  in 
terrupted  the  progress  of  the  house,  for  which  they  were  soon 
obliged  to  obtain  materials  by  breaking  up  the  ship.  One  of 
the  men,  being  pursued  by  a  bear,  was  only  saved  by  the  latter's 
waiting  to  contemplate  the  body  of  one  of  his  fellow-bears, 
which  the  sailors  had  killed  and  left  to  freeze  stiff  in  an  upright 
position. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  half  the  crew  slept  in  the  house  for 
the  first  time :  they  suffered  greatly  from  cold,  as  they  had  no 
fire,  and  because,  as  the  narrative  quaintly  remarks,  "they  were 
somewhat  deficient  in  blankets."  The  roof  was  thatched,  by 
the  end  of  October,  with  sail-cloth  and  sea-weed.  On  the  2d 
of  November,  the  sun  raised  but  half  his  disk  above  the  horizon : 
the  bears  disappeared  with  the  sun,  and  foxes  took  their  place. 
The  clock  having  stopped,  and  refusing  to  proceed,  even  with 
increased  weights,  day  could  not  be  distinguished  from  night, 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


281 


except  by  the  twelve-hour-glass.  The  beer,  freezing  in  the 
casks,  became  as  tasteless  as  water.  Half  a  pound  of  bread  a 
day  was  served  out  to  each  man :  the  provisions  of  dried  fish  and 
salt  meat  remained  still  abundant.  The  chimney  would  not 
draw,  and  the  apartment  was  filled  with  a  blinding  smoke, — 
which  the  crew  were  obliged  to  endure,  however,  or  die  of  cold. 
The  surgeon  made  a  bathing-tub  from  a  wine-pipe,  in  which 
they  bathed  four  at  a  time.  They  were  several  times  snowed 
up,  and  the  house  was  absolutely  buried.  Though  half  a  league 
from  the  sea,  they  heard  the  horrible  cracking  and  groaning  of 
the  ice  as  the  bergs  settled  down  one  upon  the  other,  or  as  the 
huge  mountains  burst  asunder.  On  one  occasion,  unable  to 
support  the  cold,  they  made  a  fire  in  their  house  with  coal 
brought  from  the  ship.  It  was  the  first  moment  of  comfort 
they  had  enjoyed  for  months.  They  kept  up  the  genial  heat 
until  several  of  the  least  vigorous  of  the  men  were  seized  with 
dizziness  and  with  the  peculiar  pains  known  as  the  hot-ache. 
Gerard  de  Veer,  the  chronicler  of  the  expedition,  caught  in  his 
arms  the  first  man  that  fell,  and  revived  him  by  rubbing  his  face 
with  vinegar.  He  adds,  "We  had  now  learned  that  to  avoid  one 
evil  we  should  not  rush  into  a  worse  one." 


THE     DUTCH     IN     WINTER     QUARTERS. 


They  set  traps  all  around  their  cabin,  with  which  they  caught 
on  an  average  a  fox  a  day.  They  eat  the  flesh,  and  with  the 
skins  made  caps  and  mittens.  They  had  the  good  fortune  to 


282  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

kill  a  bear  nine  feet  long,  from  which  they  obtained  one  hundred 
pounds  of  lard.  This  they  found  useful,  not  as  pomatum,  but 
as  the  means  of  burning  their  lamp  constantly,  day  and  night, 
as  if  it  were  an  altar  and  they  the  vestal  virgins.  On  the  19th 
of  December,  they  congratulated  themselves  that  the  Arctic 
night  was  just  one-half  expired;  "for,"  says  the  narrative,  "it 
was  a  terrible  thing  to  be  without  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  de 
prived  of  the  most  excellent  creature  of  God,  which  enliveneth 
the  entire  universe."  On  Christmas  eve  it  snowed  so  violently 
that  they  could  not  open  the  door.  The  next  day  there  was  a 
white  frost  in  the  cabin.  While  seated  at  the  fire  and  toasting 
their  legs,  their  backs  were  frozen  stiff.  They  did  not  know  by 
the  feeling  that  they  were  burning  their  shoes,  and  were  only 
warned  by  the  odor  of  the  shrivelling  leather.  They  put  a  strip 
of  linen  into  the  air,  to  see  which  way  the  wind  was :  in  an  in 
stant  the  linen  was  frozen  as  hard  as  a  board,  and  became,  of 
course,  perfectly  useless  as  a  weathercock.  Then  the  men  said 
to  each  other,  "How  excessively  cold  it  must  be  out  of  doors  !" 
The  5th  of  January  was  Twelfth  Night,  and  the  hut  was 
buried  under  the  snow.  In  the  midst  of  their  misery,  they 
asked  the  captain's  leave  to  celebrate  the  hallowed  anniversary. 
With  flour  and  oil  they  made  pancakes,  washing  them  down  with 
wine  saved  from  the  day  before  and  borrowed  in  advance  from 
the  morrow.  They  elected  a  king  by  lot,  the  master  gunner 
being  indicated  by  chance  as  the  Lord  of  Nova  Zembla.  On  the 
8th,  the  twilight  was  observed  to  be  slightly  lengthening,  and, 
though  the  cold  increased  with  the  returning  sun,  they  bore  it 
with  cheerfulness.  They  noticed  a  tinge  of  red  in  the  atmo 
sphere,  which  spoke  of  the  revival  of  nature.  They  visited  the 
ship,  and  found  the  ice  a  foot  high  in  the  hold :  they  hardly 
expected  ever  to  see  her  float  again.  The  difficulty  of  obtain 
ing  fuel  was  now  such,  that  many  of  the  men  thought  it  would 
be  easier  and  shorter  to  lie  down  and  die  than  make  such  dread 
ful  efforts  to  prolong  life.  To  save  wood  during  the  daytime, 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  283 

they  played  snow-ball,  or  ran,  or  wrestled,  to  keep  up  the  circu 
lation. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  Gerard  de  Veer  declared  he  had 
seen  the  edge  of  the  sun:  Barentz,  who  did  not  expect  the 
return  of  the  luminary  for  fourteen  days,  was  incredulous,  and 
the  cloudy  state  of  the  weather  during  the  succeeding  three 
days  prevented  the  bets  which  were  made  upon  the  subject  from 
being  settled.  On  the  27th,  they  buried  one  of  their  number  in 
a  snow  grave  seven  feet  deep,  having  dug  it  with  some  difficulty, 
the  diggers  being  constantly  obliged  to  return  to  the  fire.  One 
of  the  men  remarking  that,  even  were  the  house  completely 
blocked  up  fifteen  feet  deep,  they  could  yet  get  out  by  the  chim 
ney,  the  captain  climbed  up  the  chimney,  and  a  sailor  ran  out 
to  see  if  he  succeeded.  He  rushed  back,  saying  he  had  seen 
the  sun.  Everybody  hastened  forth  and  "  saw  him,  in  his  entire 
roundness,"  just  above  the  horizon.  It  was  then  decided  that 
de  Veer  had  seen  the  edge  on  the  24th,  and  they  "all  rejoiced 
together,  praising  God  loudly  for  the  mercy." 

Another  season  of  snow  now  set  in,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
the  ice  that  bound  the  ship  began  to  break  up,  so  that  the 
men  feared  she  would  escape  and  float  away  while  they  were 
blockaded  in  the  house.  They  were  obliged  to  make  themselves 
shoes  of  worn-out  fox-skin  caps,  as  the  leather  was  frozen  as 
hard  as  horn.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  April,  a  bear  as 
cended  to  the  roof  of  the  house  by  means  of  the  embankments 
of  snow,  and,  attacking  the  chimney  with  great  violence,  was 
very  near  demolishing  it.  On  the  1st  of  May,  they  eat  their 
last  morsel  of  meat,  relying  henceforth  on  what  they  might 
entrap  or  kill. 

It  was  now  decided  that  even  if  the  ship  should  be  disengaged 
she  would  be  unfit  to  continue  the  voyage.  Their  only  hope 
lay  in  the  shallop  and  the  long-boat,  which  they  endeavored 
to  prepare  for  the  sea,  in  the  midst  of  interruptions  from  bears, 
who  "were  very  obstinate  to  know  how  Dutchmen  tasted." 


284  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

As  late  as  the  5th  of  June,  it  snowed  so  violently  that  they 
could  only  work  within-doors,  where  they  got  ready  the  sails, 
oars,  rudder,  &c.  On  the  12th,  they  set  to  work  with  axes  and 
other  tools  to  level  a  path  from  the  ship  to  the  water, — a  distance 
of  five  hundred  paces.  On  the  13th,  Barentz  wrote  a  brief 
account  of  their  voyage  and  sojourn,  placed  it  in  a  musket- 
barrel,  and  attached  it  to  the  fireplace  in  the  house,  for  the  infor 
mation  of  future  navigators.  They  then  dragged,  with  infinite 
labor,  the  boats  to  the  water,  together  with  barrels  and  boxes 
of  such  stores  as  their  now  impoverished  ship  could  yield. 
They  bade  adieu  to  their  winter  quarters  on  the  14th,  at  early 
morning,  "  with  a  west  wind  and  under  the  protection  of  Heaven." 
Barentz,  who  had  been  a  long  time  ill,  died  on  the  20th,  while 
opposite  Icy  Cape,  the  northernmost  point  of  Nova  Zembla. 
His  loss  was  deeply  regretted;  but  their  "grief  was  assuaged 
by  the  reflection  that  none  can  resist  the  will  of  God." 

The  men  were  often  obliged  to  drag  the  boats  across  in 
tervening  fields  of  ice;  and  sometimes,  when  the  wind  was 
contrary,  they  drew  them  up  on  a  floating  bank,  and,  making 
tents  of  the  sails,  camped  out,  as  if  on  military  service.  The 
sentinels  frequently  challenged  bears,  and,  on  one  occasion, 
three  coming  together  and  one  being  killed,  the  surviving  two 
devoured  their  fallen  companion.  Through  dangers  and  dif 
ficulties  then  unparalleled  in  navigation,  they  struggled  hope 
fully  on,  descending  the  western  coast  of  Nova  Zembla  towards 
the  northern  shores  of  Russia  and  Lapland.  On  the  16th  of 
August,  they  met  a  Russian  bark,  which  furnished  them  with  such 
provisions  as  the  captain  could  spare.  On  the  20th,  they  touched 
the  coast  of  Lapland  upon  the  White  Sea,  where  they  found 
thirteen  Russians  living  in  miserable  huts  upon  the  fish  which 
they  caught.  On  the  2d  of  September,  they  arrived  at  Kola,  in 
Lapland,  where  they  found  three  Dutch  ships,  one  of  which  was 
their  consort,  which  had  been  separated  from  them  ten  months 
before.  Having  no  further  use  for  their  boats,  they  carried 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  285 

them  with  ceremony  to  the  "Merchants'  House,"  or  Town-Hall, 
where  they  dedicated  them  to  the  memory  of  their  long  voyage 
of  four  hundred  leagues  over  a  tract  never  traversed  before,  and 
which  they  had  accomplished  in  open  boats.  They  started  at 
once  for  home,  and  arrived  on  the  1st  of  November  at  Amster 
dam,  twelve  in  number.  The  city  was  greatly  excited  by  the 
news  of  their  return,  for  they  had  long  since  been  given  up  for 
dead.  The  chancellor  and  the  "ambassador  of  the  very  illus 
trious  King  of  Denmark,  Norway,  the  Goths  and  the  Vandals" 
were  at  that  moment  at  dinner.  The  voyagers  were  summoned 
to  narrate  their  adventures  before  them, — which  they  did,  "clad 
in  white  fox-skin  caps." 

No  voyage  had  hitherto  been  so  fruitful  in  incident,  peril, 
and  displays  of  persevering  courage  and  fortitude.  Though  it 
resulted  in  no  discovery  except  that  of  the  western  coast  of 
Nova  Zembla,  it  served  the  useful  purpose  of  demonstrating 
the  difficulty,  if  not  the  impossibility,  of  effecting  a  northeast 
passage. 


THE     FUNERAL     OF     MAHU     AT     BRAVA     ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  FIVE  SHIPS  OF  ROTTERDAM — BATTLE  AT  THE  ISLAND  OF  BRAVA — SEBALD 
DE  WEERT — DISASTERS  IN  THE  STRAIT  OF  MAGELLAN — TIJE  CREW  EAT 
UNCOOKED  FOOD — THE  FLEET  IS  SCATTERED  TO  THE  WINDS — ADVEN 
TURES  OF  DE  WEERT A  WRETCHED  OBJECT RETURN  TO  HOLLAND VOYAGE 

OF     OLIVER     VAN     NOORT BARBAROUS      PUNISHMENT THE     EMBLEM     OF    HOPE 

BECOMES  A  CAUSE  OF  DESPAIR — FIGHT  WITH  THE  PATAGONIANS — ARREST  OF 
THE  VICE-ADMIRAL — HIS  PUNISHMENT — DESCRIPTION  OF  A  CHILIAN  BEVE 
RAGE — CAPTURE  OF  A  SPANISH  TREASURE-SHIP — A  PILOT  THROWN  OVER 
BOARD — SEA-FIGHT  OFF  MANILLA — RETURN  HOME,  AFTER  THE  FIRST  DUTCH 
VOYAGE  OF  CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 

THE  Dutch,  -who  had  now  succeeded  the  Portuguese  in  the 
possession  and  control  of  the  East  Indies,  had,  up  to  the  year 
1598,  made  all  their  voyages  thither  hy  the  Portuguese  route, — 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  In  this  year,  two  fleets  fitted  out  by 

them  were  directed  to  proceed  by  the  Strait  of  Magellan  and 

286 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  287 

across  the  South  Sea.  The  first  of  these  expeditions  is  known 
as  that  of  the  Five  Ships  of  Rotterdam,  one  of  the  five,  however, 
becoming  separated,  and  forming  a  distinct  enterprise,  under 
Sebald  de  Weert :  the  second  was  the  voyage  of  Oliver  Van 
Noort.  We  shall  narrate  them  in  order  of  time. 

The  Five  Ships  of  Rotterdam  were  equipped  at  the  charge 
of  several  merchants  called  the  Company  of  Peter  Verhagen. 
The  flag-ship,  commanded  by  Jacob  Mahu,  was  named  the 
Hope ;  another,  commanded  by  Sebald  de  Weert,  was  the  Good 
News,  or  Glad  Tidings,  or  Merry  Messenger, — all  these  names 
being  given  in  the  various  translations.  They  sailed  from  Goree, 
in  Holland,  on  the  27th  of  June,  1598. 

They  were  off  the  island  of  Brava — one  of  the  Cape  Verds, — 
on  the  llth  of  September,  and  sent  boats  ashore  with  empty 
casks  in  search  of  water.  The  men  were  accosted  by  some 
Portuguese  and  negroes,  who  told  them  that  French  and  Eng 
lish  ships  were  accustomed  to  water  there,  but  always  remained 
under  sail.  Sebald  de  Weert  noticed  four  or  five  ruinous  huts, 
and  found  them  full  of  maize,  which  he  at  once  proceeded  to 
appropriate, — an  act  which  the  Portuguese  endeavored  to  resent ; 
but  the  Dutch  flag-ship  silenced  their  feeble  resistance  with  her 
guns.  The  death  of  Mahu  now  caused  a  transfer  of  captains, 
by  which  Sebald  de  Weert  left  the  Glad  Tidings  for  the  Good 
Faith.  The  fleet  lost  thirty  men  by  the  scurvy  during  the  pas 
sage  across  the  Atlantic.  They  anchored  off  the  Rio  de  la  Plata 
early  in  March,  1599,  and  observed  the  sea  to  be  as  red  as 
blood.  The  water  was  examined,  and  found  to  be  full  of  small 
worms,  which  jumped  about  like  fleas,  and  which  were  supposed 
to  have  been  shaken  off  by  whales  in  their  gambols,  as  the  lion 
shakes  dew-drops  from  his  mane. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  they  entered  the  Strait  of  Magellan, 
and  were  compelled  to  pass  the  Antarctic  winter  there, — that  is, 
till  late  in  August.  Gales  of  wind  followed  each  other  in  quick 
succession;  and  the  anchors  and  cables  were  so  much  damaged 


288  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

that  the  crews  were  kept  in  continual  labor  and  anxiety.  The 
scarcity  of  food  was  such  that  the  people  were  sent  on  shore 
every  day  at  low  water,  frequently  in  rain,  snow,  or  frost,  to 
seek  for  shell-fish  or  to  gather  roots  for  their  subsistence.  These 
they  devoured  in  the  state  in  which  they  were  found,  having 
no  patience  to  wait  to  cook  them.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
men  were  buried  during  this  disastrous  winter. 

On  the  evening  of  September  the  3d,  the  whole  fleet,  including 
a  shallop  of  sixteen  tons,  named  the  Postillion,  which  had  been 
put  together  in  the  Strait,  entered  the  South  Sea.  A  storm 
soon  separated  them,  leaving  the  Fidelity  and  Faith  as  consorts, 
and  scattering  the  rest  in  every  direction.  The  adventures  of 
the  Fidelity  and  Faith,  however,  require  that  we  should  follow 
them  in  their  fortunes  around  the  world.  De  Weert  found  his 
ship  almost  unseaworthy,  without  a  master,  short  of  hands,  and 
with  two  pilots  quite  too  old  to  be  efficient.  After  weathering 
another  storm,  which  nearly  sent  the  vessels  to  the  bottom,  both 
captains  resolved  to  return  to  the  Strait  and  to  wait  there  in 
some  safe  bay  for  a  favorable  wind.  On  the  27th,  they  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Strait,  and  were  drifted  by  the  current  some 
seven  leagues  inland. 

As  the  Antarctic  summer  was  now  approaching,  they  were  in 
hopes  of  fair  weather;  yet  during  the  two  months  of  their 
stay  they  hardly  had  a  day  in  which  to  dry  their  sails.  The 
seamen  began  to  murmur,  alleging  that  there  would  not  be 
sufficient  biscuit  for  their  return  to  Holland  if  they  remained 
here  longer.  Upon  this  de  Weert  went  into  the  bread-room,  as 
if  to  examine  the  store,  and,  on  coming  out,  declared,  with  a 
cheerful  countenance,  that  there  was  biscuit  enough  for  eight 
months,  though  in  reality  there  was  barely  enough  for  four. 
On  the  3d  of  December,  they  succeeded  in  leaving  the  Strait, 
but,  by  some  mismanagement,  anchored  a  league  apart,  with  a 
point  of  land  between  them  which  intercepted  the  view.  A  gale 
of  wind  forced  the  Fidelity  from  her  anchors,  and  she  was  com- 


MAN  UPON   THE    SEA.  289 

pelled  to  proceed  upon  the  voyage  alone.  On  her  arrival  at  the 
Moluccas  she  was  attacked  and  captured  by  the  Portuguese. 

Sebald  de  Weert  was  thus  left  without  a  consort  and  almost 
without  a  crew.  When  leaving  the  Strait,  and  towing  the 
only  remaining  boat  astern,  the  rope  broke,  and  the  boat  went 
adrift  and  was  not  again  recovered.  The  next  morning  they 
saw  a  boat  rowing  towards  them,  which  proved  to  belong  to 
another  Dutch  fleet,  under  Oliver  Van  Noort,  bound  to  the 
South  Sea  and  the  East  Indies.  De  Weert  endeavored  to  sail 
in  company  with  them ;  but  the  reduced  condition  of  his  crew — • 
but  forty-eight  men  remaining  out  of  one  hundred  and  ten — 
rendered  it  impossible.  He  finally  abandoned  all  attempts  to 
prosecute  the  voyage,  and,  profiting  by  the  west  winds,  returned 
through  the  Strait  to  the  Atlantic.  He  anchored  at  the 
Penguin  Islands,  where  a  large  number  of  birds  were  taken  and 
salted.  Some  of  the  seamen  who  were  on  shore  discovered  a 
Patagonian  woman  among  the  rocks,  where  she  had  endeavored 
to  conceal  herself.  The  chronicle  thus  speaks  of  her: — "A 
state  more  deeply  calamitous  than  that  to  which  this  woman  was 
reduced,  the  goodness  of  God  has  not  permitted  to  be  the  lot 
of  many.  The  ships  of  Van  Noort  had  stopped  at  this  island 
about  seven  weeks  before,  where  this  woman  was  one  of  a  nume 
rous  tribe  of  Patagonians ;  but  they  were  savagely  slaughtered 
by  Van  Noort's  men.  She  was  wounded  at  the  same  time,  but 
lived  to  mourn  the  destruction  of  her  race,  the  solitary  inhabit 
ant  of  a  rocky,  desolate  island."  De  Weert  presented  her  with 
a  knife,  but  left  her  without  any  means  of  changing  her  situa 
tion,  though  she  made  it  understood  that  she  wished  to  be  trans 
ported  to  the  continent. 

On  the  21st  of  January,  1600,  he  left  the  Strait  by  the 
eastern  entrance,  'and  bent  his  course  homewards.  Six  months 
afterwards  he  entered  the  channel  of  Goree,  in  Holland,  having 
lost  sixty-nine  men  during  the  voyage.  The  ship  had  been 

absent  two  years  and  sixteen  days,  the  greater  part  of  which 

19 


290  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

had  been  misemployed.  She  had  been  only  twenty-four  days 
in  the  South  Sea,  and  had  spent  nine  months  in  the  Strait  of 
Magellan  and  the  remainder  in  the  passage  out  and  back.  The 
Faith  was,  nevertheless,  more  fortunate  than  her  companions ;  for 
she  was  the  only  ship  of  the  five  which  sailed  under  Jacob  Mahu 
which  ever  reached  home  again.  The  Charity  was  abandoned 
at  sea ;  the  Hope  was  plundered  by  the  Japanese  at  Bungo ; 
the  Glad  Tidings  was  taken  by  the  Spaniards  at  Valparaiso ; 
and,  as  we  have  said,  the  Fidelity  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Portuguese  at  the  Spice  Islands.  The  Postillion  shallop,  which 
had  been  launched  in  the  Strait,  was  never  heard  of  after  she 
entered  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  plan  of  the  South  Sea  Expedition  under  Oliver  Van 
Noort  was  in  all  respects  similar  to  that  of  Mahu  and  de  Weert, 
and  the  equipment  was  made  at  the  joint  expense  of  a  company 
of  merchants.  The  vessels  fitted  out  were  the  Mauritius,  whose 
tonnage  is  not  mentioned, — in  which  sailed,  as  admiral, Van  Noort, 
who  was  a  native  of  Utrecht,  and  an  experienced  seaman, — the 
Hendrick  Frederick,  and  two  yachts,  the  whole  being  manned 
by  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  men.  The  instructions  to  the 
admiral  were  to  sail  through  Magellan's  Strait  to  the  South  Sea, 
to  cruise  off  the  coast  of  Chili  and  Peru,  to  cross  over  to  the 
Moluccas  to  trade,  and  then,  returning  homey  to  complete  the  cir 
cumnavigation  of  the  globe.  He  sailed  on  the  13th  of  Septem 
ber,  three  months  after  the  departure  of  the  Five  Ships  of 
Rotterdam. 

At  Prince's  Island,  near  the  coast  of  Guinea, — a  station  held 
by  the  Portuguese, — Van  Noort' s  flag  of  truce  was  not  respected 
by  the  garrison,  and  two  Hollanders  were  killed  and  sixteen 
wounded.  Van  Noort  revenged  this  outrage  by  burning  all  the 
sugar-mills  which  he  dared  to  approach.  He  set  one  of  his 
pilots  ashore  upon  Cape  Gongalves  for  mutinous  practices.  He 
made  the  coast  of  Brazil  early  in  February,  1519 ;  but  it  was  de 
termined  in  council  that,  as  the  Southern  winter  was  so  near  at 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  291 

hand,  they  would  hibernate  at  St.  Helena.  They  sailed  east 
ward,  and  spent  three  months  in  searching  for  the  island;  but  in 
vain.  At  the  end  of  May,  they  unexpectedly  found  themselves 
again  upon  the  coast  of  Brazil;  but  the  Portuguese  opposed 
their  landing.  On  the  18th  of  June,  the  council  of  war  sen 
tenced  two  men,  a  constable  and  a  gunner,  "to  be  abandoned  in 
any  strange  country  where  they  could  hereafter  be  of  service," 
for  mutiny;  and  another  seaman  was  sentenced  to  be  fastened, 
by  a  knife  through  the  hand,  to  the  mast,  there  to  remain  till  he 
should  release  himself  by  slitting  his  hand  through  the  middle. 
This  barbarous  sentence  was  carried  into  execution. 

After  burning  one  of  the  yachts  which  proved  unfit  for  service, 
the  fleet  proceeded  towards  the  Strait,  and,  on  the  4th  of  No 
vember,  anchored  off  Cape  Virgin.  Here  Van  Noort's  ship 
lost  three  anchors,  and  the  admiral  wrote  to  the  vice-admiral  to 
furnish  him  one  of  his.  The  latter  refused,  saying  that  he  was 
as  much  master  as  Van  Noort, — a  piece  of  impertinence  which 
the  admiral  declared  he  would  punish  upon  the  first  convenient 
opportunity.  The  vessels  entered  the  Strait  four  times,  and 
were  as  often  forced  back  by  the  violence  of  the  wind.  On  the 
27th,  they  arrived  at  the  two  Penguin  Islands.  It  was  here 
that  the  transaction  occurred  to  which  we  have  alluded  under 
Sebald  de  Weert.  It  happened  as  follows : 

On  the  smallest  of  the  islands  some  natives  were  seen,  who 
made  signs  to  the  Dutch  not  to  advance,  and  threw  them  some 
penguins  from  the  cliffs.  Seeing  that  the  strangers  continued 
to  approach,  they  shot  arrows  at  them,  which  the  Dutch  re 
turned  with  bullets.  The  savages  fled  for  refuge  to  a  cavern 
where  they  had  secreted  their  women  and  children.  The  Dutch 
pursued  them,  and  used  their  fire-arms  with  unrelenting  ferocity, 
receiving  little  or  no  damage  from  the  feeble  missiles  of  the 
natives.  The  latter  continued  to  fight  in  defence  of  their  women 
'and  children  with  undiminished  courage,  and  not  till  the  last 
man  of  them  was  killed  did  the  Hollanders  obtain  an  entrance. 


292  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

Within  they  found  a  number  of  wretched  mothers  who  had 
formed  barricades  of  their  own  bodies  to  protect  their  children. 
Of  these  they  killed  several  and  wounded  more.  Seven  weeks 
after,  as  has  been  said,  Sebald  de  Weert  found  the  tribe  ex- 


AFFRAY  BETWEEN  THE  DUTCH  AND  PATAGONIANS. 

terminated  and  but  one  woman  surviving.  Six  children  were 
taken  by  Van  Noort  on  board  of  the  fleet.  One  of  the  boys 
afterwards  learned  to  speak  the  Dutch  language,  and  from  him 
were  obtained  several  slender  items  of  information  respecting 
the  tribe  to  which  he  had  belonged,  but  which  were  far  from 
compensating  for  the  flagrant  act  of  cruelty  which  had  led  to 
the  capture  of  his  fellow-exiles  and  himself. 

The  men  went  ashore  near  Cape  Froward,  and  some  of  them 
ate  of  an  herb  which  drove  them  "raging  mad."  During  an 
anchorage  here,  the  carpenters  built  a  boat  thirty-seven  feet 
long  in  the  keel ;  the  blacksmith  set  up  his  forge,  while  the 
wooders  made  charcoal  from  trees  which  they  felled.  A  light 
wind  springing  up,  the  vice-admiral,  without  receiving  orders, 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  293, 

fired  a  gun  and  got  under  way,  and,  though  the  admiral  re 
mained  stationary,  continued  sailing  on  and  firing  guns,  as  if  he 
had  been  commander-in-chief.  Such,  said  Van  Noort,  is  the 
effect,  upon  a  vice-admiral,  of  having  a  larger  number  of  anchors 
than  his  superior.  He  caused  him  to  be  arrested  and  to  be 
tried  upon  the  charge  of  exciting  mutiny  by  insubordinate  con 
duct,  and  allowed  him  three  weeks  to  prepare  his  defence.  At 
this  period  the  number  of  deaths  in  the  fleet  had  amounted  to 
ninety-seven  persons. 

When  the  three  weeks  expired,  the  vessels  were  still  in  the 
Strait,  and  the  council  was  assembled  on  board  the  admiral's 
vessel,  to  hear  the  defence  of  the  prisoner,  which  proved  insuf 
ficient  for  his  acquittal,  and  he  was  condemned  to  be  set  on  shore 
and  abandoned  in  the  Strait.  This  sentence  was  publicly  read  on 
board  the  different  ships,  and,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1600,  Jacob 
Claesz  was  carried  in  a  boat  to  the  shore,  with  a  small  stock  of 
bread  and  wine.  He  was  thus  left  to  shift  for  himself  among 
the  wild  beasts  and  still  more  savage  inhabitants.  .  Van  Noort 
ordered  a  prayer  and  exhortation  to  be  read  in  the  fleet  during 
the  execution  of  this  terrible  verdict. 

Being  still  at  anchor  in  the  Strait  in  the  middle  of  February, 
the  admiral  announced  his  determination  to  persevere  two  months 
longer,  and,  if  it  were  still  impossible  to  reach  the  Pacific  by 
the  west,  to  turn  eastward  and  reach  it  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  On  the  29th,  the  wind  having  veered,  Van  Noort,  with 
two  ships  and  a  yacht,  after  a  tedious  navigation  of  a  year  and 
a  half,  finally  entered  the  Great  South  Sea.  A  storm  compelled 
the  admiral  to  cast  loose  and  abandon  the  long-boat  which  had 
been  built  at  Cape  Froward,  and  forced  the  new  vice-admiral  to 
part  company.  His  ship  was  never  seen  again.  During  an 
anchorage  upon  the  coast  of  Chili,  one  of  the  sailors  whom  we 
have  already  mentioned  as  sentenced  to  be  abandoned  upon  any 
coast  where  they  could  be  of  service,  was  sent  ashore  to  open 
negotiations  with  the  natives.  If  he  succeeded  and  returned  in 


294  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

safety,  his  sentence  was  to  be  remitted.  He  was  favorably  re 
ceived,  and  a  regular  trade  was  established.  The  official  narra 
tive  of  the  voyage  thus  describes  the  hospitality  of  the  people : — 
"  An  elderly  woman  brought  us  an  earthen  vessel  full  of  a  drink 
of  a  sharp  taste,  of  which  we  drank  heartily.  This  drink  is  made 
of  maize  and  water,  and  is  brewed  in  the  following  manner :  old 
women  who  have  lost  their  teeth  chew  the  maize,  which,  being 
thus  mixed  with  their  saliva,  is  put  into  a  tub,  and  water  is  added 
to  it.  They  have  a  superstitious  opinion  that  the  older  the  women 
are  who  chew  the  maize,  by  so  much  will  the  beverage  be  the 
better.  And  with  this  drink  the  natives  get  intoxicated  and 
celebrate  their  festivals." 

Soon  after,  Van  Noort's  ship  gave  chase  to  a  Spaniard,  which 
it  was  important  to  take,  lest  she  might  spread  the  alarm  along 
the  coast.  She  proved  to  be  the  Good  Jesus,  and  to  be  stationed 
there  expressly  to  give  early  notice  of  the  arrival  of  strange 
sails.  She  was  taken,  and  a  prize-master  placed  on  board  to 
navigate  her.  One  of  the  prisoners  stated  afterwards,  that  ten 
thousand  pounds'  weight  of  gold  had  been  thrown  overboard 
during  her  flight ;  and  this  was  corroborated  by  the  pilot,  who  at 
first  denied  it,  but,  upon  being  put  to  the  torture,  confessed. 
Van  Noort  now  steered  for  the  Philippines,  by  way  of  the  La- 
drones.  On  the  30th  of  June,  the  pilot  of  the  Good  Jesus, 
who  ate  at  the  admiral's  table,  was  taken  ill,  and  accused  Van 
Noort  of  wishing  to  poison  him,  and  maintained  the  charge  in 
presence  of  the  officers.  He  was  sentenced  to  be  cast  head 
foremost  into  the  sea, — the  established  Dutch  mode  of  punishing 
pirates.  "We  therefore  threw  him  overboard,"  says  the  journal, 
"  and  left  him  to  sink,  to  the  end  that  he  should  not  ever  again 
reproach  us  with  any  treachery."  The  Good  Jesus  now  lost  her 
rudder,  and,  being  very  leaky,  was  abandoned  in  mid-ocean. 

While  Van  Noort  was  thus  making  his  way  towards  Manilla, 
preparations  were  making  at  that  place  for  defence.  Cavite, 
the  port,  was  fortified ;  two  galleons  were  ordered  to  be  armed 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  295 

and  equipped.  The  Dutch  squadron  arrived  off  the  entrance  of 
the  bay  on  the  24th  of  November,  and  Van  Noort  determined 
to  remain  there  till  February,  to  intercept  all  vessels  bound  in. 
He  soon  stopped  a  Japanese  vessel,  laden  with  iron  and  hams. 
He  allowed  her  to  proceed,  having  first  purchased  a  wooden 
anchor.  He  remarks  in  the  journal  that  he  saw  Japanese 
scimetars  which  could  cut  through  three  men  at  a  blow,  and 
that  slaves  were  kept  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  necessary 
proof  of  their  temper  to  purchasers.  He  next  took  a  Spanish 
vessel  laden  with  cocoanut  wine,  and  a  Chinese  junk  laden  with 
rice.  The  cargoes  were  transferred  and  the  vessels  sunk. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  December,  the  two  gal 
leons  were  seen  bearing  down  upon  the  Dutch  squadron,  now 
reduced  to  two  sails, — the  Mauritius,  with  fifty-five  men,  and  the 
Concord,  with  twenty-five.  The  Spanish  ships  are  supposed  to 
have  had  two  hundred  men  apiece.  They  steered  directly  for 
the  enemy,  but  could  not  return  their  fire,  as  the  wind  from  the 
starboard  compelled  them  to  keep  their  lee  ports  shut.  The 
Spanish  admiral  ran  his  ship  directly  upon  the  Dutch  admiral, 
and  his  men  at  once  overpowered  the  latter  by  the  mere  force 
of  numbers.  The  Dutch  retreated  from  the  deck,  and  harassed 
the  Spaniards  from  their  close  quarters.  The  colors  of  the 
Mauritius  were  struck,  upon  which  the  captain  of  the  Concord, 
thinking  his  superior  had  surrendered,  endeavored  to  escape, 
being  closely  pursued  by  the  Spanish  vice-admiral. 

The  Dutch  admiral,  however,  was  not  captured  yet.  The 
Spaniards  having  remained  masters  of  the  open  deck  for  six 
hours,  Van  Noort  told  his  men  they  must  go  up  and  expel  the 
enemy,  or  he  would  fire  the  magazine  and  blow  up  the  ship. 
The  Spanish  account  says  that  they  were  at  this  moment  them 
selves  forced  to  disengage  their  ship  and  withdraw  their  men,  as 
the  after-part  of  the  Hollander  had  taken  fire.  At  all  events, 
the  two  vessels  were  cleared  and  the  engagement  renewed  with 
cannon.  The  Spanish  vessel  took  in  water  so  fast  that  she  went 


296 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


down  not  long  after.  The  Dutch  rowed  about  in  boats  among 
the  struggling  Spaniards,  stabbing  and  knocking  them  on  the 
head.  In  retaliation  for  this,  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Con 
cord,  which  was  easily  taken  by  the  Spanish  vice-admiral,  were 
conveyed  to  Manilla  and  executed  as  pirates  and  rebels.  In  Van 


THE  TWO  ADMIRALS  AT   CLOSE   QUARTERS. 


Noort's  ship  only  five  men  were  killed,  twenty-six  being  wounded 
more  or  less  severely.  He  continued  on  his  way  with  one  vessel 
only,  touching  at  Borneo,  Java,  and  Mauritius.  At  the  latter 
place,  where  he  found  other  vessels  at  anchor,  his  men  met  with 
very  pleasant  entertainment,  and  on  one  occasion  ten  of  them 
dined  in  an  inverted  tortoise-shell,  the  first  inhabitant  having 
withdrawn  to  furnish  the  new  occupants  with  both  soup  and 
sitting-room. 

Van  Noort  arrived  at  Rotterdam  on  the  26th  of  August,  1601, 
where  he  was  received  with  the  utmost  joy,  having  been  absent 
a  fortnight  short  of  three  years.  His  was  the  first  Dutch  vessel 
that  circumnavigated  the  globe,  and  the  only  one  of  the  nine 


MAN   UPON    THE    SEA.  297 

ships  that  sailed  from  Holland  in  1598  in  that  design  which 
succeeded  in  fulfilling  it.  The  voyage  contributed  nothing  to 
geography,  but,  in  spite  of  the  instances  of  barbarity  with  which 


A    DUTCH    PICNIC    IN   THE    MAURITIUS. 


it  abounded,  added  to  the  warlike  and  commercial  reputation  of 
the  country,  and  therefore  met  with  favor  from  both  Government 
and  people. 


WOMAN   AND   CHILD   OF    ESPIRITU   SANTO. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

QUIROS'  THEORY  OF  A  SOUTHERN  CONTINENT — HIS  ARGUMENTS  AND  MEMORIALS 

— HIS  FIRST   VOTAGE — DISCOVERIES — ENCARNA9ION SAGITTARIA,  OR  TAHITI 

— DESCRIPTION  OF  THESE  ISLANDS — MANICOLO — ESPIRITU  SANTO — ITS  PRODUC 
TIONS  AND  INHABITANTS — QUIROS  BEFORE  THE  KING  OF  SPAIN — HIS  BELIEF 
IN  HIS  DISCOVERT  OF  A  CONTINENT — HIS  DISAPPOINTMENT — RENEWED  SOLI 
CITATIONS — DEATH  OF  QUIROS — DISCOVERIES  OF  TORRES — THE  MUSCOVY  COM 
PANY  OF  LONDON — HENRY  HUDSON — HIS  VOYAGES  TO  SPITZBERGEN  AND  NOVA 

ZEMBLA — HIS  VOYAGE  TO  AMERICA CASTS  ANCHOR  AT  SANDY  HOOK — ASCENDS 

THE  HUDSON  RIVER  AS  FAR  AS  THE  SITE  OF  ALBANY — HIS  VOYAGE  TO  ICELAND 
AND  HUDSON'S  BAY — DISASTROUS  WINTER — MUTINY — HUDSON  SET  ADRIFT — 
HIS  DEATH. 

WE  have  said,  in  a  preceding  chapter,  that  Pedro  Fernandez 
de  Quiros  was  the  pilot  of  Mendana's  second  expedition.  During 
the  voyage  he  had  reflected  deeply  upon  the  probability  of  the 

existence  of  a  Southern  continent:  on  his  return  to  Peru,  he 

298 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  299 

asserted  it,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the  prose 
cution  of  a  plan  of  discovery.  He  was  the  first  to  bring  for 
ward  scientific  arguments  in  support  of  the  theory, — one  which, 
by  the  way,  was  destined  to  agitate  and  interest  the  world  for 
two  centuries,  till  its  final  overthrow  by  Cook.  He  presented 
two  memorials  to  Don  Luis  de  Velasco,  the  viceroy,  praying  for 
ships,  men,  and  other  necessaries,  with  which  "  to  plough  up  the 
waters  of  the  unknown  sea,  and  to  seek  out  the  undiscovered 
lands  around  the  Antarctic  Pole,  the  centre  of  that  horizon." 
His  arguments  were  many  of  them  profound,  and  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  viceroy,  who  replied,  however,  that  Quiros' 
desires  exceeded  the  limits  of  his  authority.  He  nevertheless 
despatched  him  with  strong  recommendations  to  the  court  of 
Spain.  Philip  III.  gave  favorable  attention  to  his  projects,  and 
ordered  that  Quiros  should  go  in  person  upon  an  expedition 
"  among  these  hidden  provinces  and  severed  regions, — an  expedi 
tion  destined  to  win  souls  to  heaven  and  kingdoms  to  the  crown 
of  Spain."  Quiros  returned  to  Lima  "with  the  most  honorable 
schedules  which  had  ever  passed  the  Council  of  State."  He  pre 
sented  his  papers  to  the  viceroy,  and,  forgetting  the  obstacles  and 
discouragements  he  had  met  with  during  eleven  years,  entered 
on  his  new  and  arduous  labors.  He  built  three  ships,  and  em 
barked  on  the  20th  of  December,  1605,  holding  his  course  west 
by  south. 

One  thousand  leagues  from  Peru,  he  discovered  a  small  island 
which  he  named  Encarna^ion :  to  others,  of  little  importance  and 
uninhabited,  he  gave  the  names  of  Santelmo,  St.  Miguel,  and 
Archangel:  the  tenth  he  called  Dezena.  On  the  10th  of  Febru 
ary,  1606,  land  was  seen  from  the  topmast-head,  and,  to  the 
joy  of  all,  columns  of  smoke — an  unmistakable  sign  that  the 
land  was  inhabited — were  perceived  ascending  at  numerous 
points.  A  boat  advanced  to  the  surf,  through  which  it  seemed 
impossible  to  gain  the  shore.  A  young  man,  Francisco  Ponce 
by  name,  stripped  off  his  clothes,  saying  that,  if  they  should 


300 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


thus  turn  their  faces  from  the  first  danger  which  offered,  there 
would  be  no  hope  of  eventual  success.  He  threw  himself  into 
the  sea,  and,  after  a  fierce  struggle  with  the  receding  waves, 
clambered  up  a  rock  to  a  spot  where  one  hundred  Indians  were 
awaiting  him.  They  seemed  pleased  with  his  resolution,  and 
frequently  kissed  his  forehead.  Peace  was  made,  and  a  safe 
anchorage  was  pointed  out.  The  island  thus  discovered  subse 
quently  became,  for  many  reasons,  the  most  famous  in  the  whole 
Pacific  Ocean.  Quiros  called  it  Sagittaria ;  but  it  is  now  known 
as  Tahiti  or  Otaheite.  We  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to 
describe  at  length  this  lovely  oasis  in  the  desert  of  the  waters. 


SCENE     IN    TAHITI. 


The  fleet  stayed  here  but  two  days,  and  then  continued  on  its 
way.  Quiros  discovered  several  .islands  which  have  not  been 
seen  again  from  that  time  to  this.  To  one  of  them  he  gave  the 
name  of  Isla  de  la  Gente  Hermosa, — Island  of  Handsome  People. 
Convinced  that  the  mainland  must  be  near,  he  kept  OH  in  search 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  301 

of  what  he  called  the  "mother  of  so  many  islands."  At  one 
named  Taumaco  he  seized  four  natives  to  serve  him  as  guides 
and  interpreters,  and  carried  them  away.  He  has  been  much 
blamed  for  this  act  of  treachery  towards  a  people  who  treated 
him  with  kindness  and  hospitality.  Three  of  the  four  jumped 
overboard  during  the  two  days  following,  and  escaped  to  islands 
in  the  vicinity.  The  chief  of  the  island  where  he  had  taken 
them  had  informed  him  that,  if  he  would  change  his  course  from 
the  west  to  the  south,  he  would  come  to  a  large  tract,  fertile  and 
inhabited,  named  Manicolo.  Following  this  advice,  he  discovered 
the  islands  of  Tucopia  and  Nuestra  Senora  de  la  Luz.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  either  of  these  has  been  seen  by  subsequent 
navigators.  On  the  26th  of  April,  he  made  a  land  which  he 
took  to  be  the  continent  of  which  he  was  in  search,  and  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Tierra  Austral  del  Espiritu  Santo.  Bou 
gainville  and  Cook,  who  arrived  here  a  century  and  a  half  after 
wards,  thought  themselves  justified,  by  acquiring  the  certitude 
that  it  was  a  group  of  islands  and  not  a  continent,  in  christening 
them  anew, — Bougainville  naming  them  the  Grandes  Cyclades, 
and  Cook  the  New  Hebrides. 

Quiros  has  left  an  admirable  picture  of  this  fertile  and  de 
lightful  spot.  "The  rivers  Jordan  and  Salvador,"  he  says, 
"  give  no  small  beauty  to  their  shores,  for  they  are  full  of  odori 
ferous  flowers  and  plants.  Pleasant  and  agreeable  groves  front 
the  sea  in  every  part :  we  mounted  to  the  tops  of  mountains  and 
perceived  fertile  valleys  and  rivers  winding  amongst  green  mea 
dows.  The  whole  is  a  country  which,  without  doubt,  has  the 
advantage  over  those  of  America,  and  the  best  of  the  European 
will  be  well  if  it  is  equal.  It  is  plenteous  of  various  and  delicious 
fruits,  potatoes,  yams,  plantains,  oranges,  limes,  sweet  basil,  nut 
megs,  and  ebony,  all  of  which,  without  the  help  of  sickle,  plough, 
or  other  artifice,  it  yields  in  every  season.  There  are  also  cattle, 
birds  of  many  kinds  and  of  charming  notes,  honey-bees,  parrots, 
doves,  and  partridges.  The  houses  wherein  the  Indians  live  are 


302  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

thatched  and  low,  and  they  of  a  black  complexion.  There  are 
earthquakes, — sign  of  a  mainland."  The  Spaniards  found  it 
impossible  to  make  peace  with  the  natives,  and  the  few  days 
which  they  spent  there  were  passed  in  wrangling  and  blood 
shed. 

The  achievements  and  discoveries  of  Quiros  properly  end  here. 
His  ships  were  separated,  and  his  own  crew  disabled  by  the  effects 
of  poisonous  fish  which  they  had  eaten.  He  called  a  council  of 
his  officers,  and  asked  their  opinion  upon  a  choice  of  courses, — 
a  prosecution  of  the  voyage  to  China,  or  a  return  to  Mexico. 
The  latter  was  decided  upon.  Quiros  arrived  at  Acapulco  nine 
months  after  his  departure  from  Callao. 

He  soon  returned  to  Spain,  where  he  presented  a  memorial 
to  Philip  III.  upon  the  results  of  his  voyage,  and  the  advantage 
of  further  efforts  in  the  same  direction.  His  grand  argument 
in  favor  of  the  theory  that  he  had  discovered  an  Austral  con 
tinent  was  drawn  from  the  statements  of  Pedro, — the  only  one 
of  the  four  kidnapped  savages  of  Taumaco  who  had  remained 
on  board.  A  subsequent  memorial  shows  the  fate  with  which 
all  his  representations  to  Philip  met: — "I,  Captain  Pedro  Fer 
nandez  de  Quiros,  say  that  with  this  I  have  presented  to  your 
majesty  eight  memorials  touching  the  country  of  Australia  In 
cognita,  without  to  this  time  any  resolution  being  taken  with 
me,  nor  any  reply  made  me,  nor  hope  given  to  assure  me  that 
I  shall  be  despatched, — having  now  been  fourteen  months  in  this 
court,  and  having  been  fourteen  years  engaged  in  this  cause 
without  pay  or  any  other  advantage  in  view  but  the  success  of 
it  alone ;  wherewith,  and  through  infinite  contradictions,  I  have 
gone  by  land  and  sea  twenty-two  thousand  leagues,  spending  all 
my  estate  and  incommoding  my  person,  suffering  so  many  and 
such  terrible  things  that  even  to  myself  they  appear  incredible : 
and  all  this  has  come  to  pass,  that  this  work  of  so  much  good 
ness  and  benevolence  should  not  be  abandoned.  In  whose  name, 
and  all  for  the  love  of  God,  I  beg  your  majesty  not  to  neglect 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  303 

these  innumerable  benefits,  which  shall  last  as  long  as  the  world 
subsists,  and  then  be  eternal." 

Quiros  then  enters  into  a  detailed  description  of  the  islands 
and  the  continent  he  had  seen.  Their  extent,  he  said,  was  as 
much  as  that  of  Europe,  Asia  Minor,  England,  and  Ireland. 
They  had  no  such  turbulent  neighbors  as  the  Turks  or  the 
Moors.  The  people  were  intelligent  and  capable  of  civilization. 
Bread  grew  upon  the  trees.  The  palm  yielded  spirits,  vinegar, 
honey,  whey,  and  toddy.  The  green  cocoanut  served  instead 
of  artichoke ;  when  ripe,  for  meat  and  cream ;  and,  when  old, 
for  oil,  wax,  and  balsams.  The  shells  furnished  cups  and  bottles. 
The  fibres  afforded  oakum,  cordage,  and  the  best  slow  match. 
The  leaves  furnished  sails,  matting,  and  thatch.  The  garden- 
stufis  of  the  country  were  pumpkins,  parsley,  "  with  intimation  of 
beans."  The  flesh  was  hogs,  fowls,  capons,  partridges,  geese, 
turkeys,  ringdoves,  and  goats,  "with  intimation  of  cows  and 
buffaloes."  The  riches  were  silver,  pearls,  and  gold.  The 
spices  were  nutmegs,  mace,  pepper,  and  ginger,  "with  intimation 
of  cinnamon  and  cloves."  There  was-ebony,  and  infinite  woods 
for  ship-building.  At  daybreak  the  harmony  of  thousands  of 
birds  trembled  upon  the  air, — nightingales,  blackbirds,  larks,  gold 
finches,  and  swallows, — besides  the  chirping  of  grasshoppers  and 
crickets.  Every  morning  and  evening  the  breeze  was  laden 
with  fragrant  scents  wafted  from  orange-flowers  and  sweet 
basil.  This  enthusiastic  document  concludes  thus: — "I  can 
show  this  in  a  company  of  mathematicians,  that  this  land  will 
presently  accommodate  and  sustain  two  hundred  thousand  Spa 
niards.  None  of  our  men  fell  sick  from  over-work,  or  sweating, 
or  getting  wet.  Fish  and  flesh  kept  sound  two  or  more  days. 
I  saw  neither  sandy  ground,  nor  thistles,  nor  prickly  trees,  nor 
mangrovy  swamps,  nor  snow  on  the  mountains,  nor  crocodiles  in 
the  rivers,  nor  ants  in  the  dust,  nor  mosquitos  in  the  night. 

"Acquire,  sire,  since  you  can  with  a  little  money,  which  will 
be  required  but  once, — acquire  heaven,  eternal  fame,  and  that 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

new  world  with  all  its  promises.  Order  the  galleons  to  be 
ready,  sire;  for  I  have  many  places  to  go  to,  and  much  to  pro 
vide  and  to  do.  Let  it  be  observed  that  in  all  I  shall  be  found 
very  submissive  to  reason,  and  will  give  satisfaction  in  every 
thing." 

These  stirring  appeals  were  disregarded  by  the  feeble  suc 
cessor  of  Charles  V. ;  and  Quiros,  who,  though  a  Portuguese  by 
birth,  is  often  styled  the  last  of  the  Spanish  heroes,  died  at 
Panama  on  his  way  back  to  Lima. 

We  mentioned  the  dispersion  of  Quiros'  fleet  after  leaving 
Espiritu  Santo.  We  must  recur  for  a  moment  to  this  incident, 
in  order  to  follow  the  ship  of  Luis  Vaez  de  Torres,  the  second 
in  command.  He  proceeded  on  his  voyage  to  the  southwest, 
and  saw  enough  of  Espiritu  Santo'  to  convince  him  that  it  was 
not  a  continent.  He  would  have  circumnavigated  it  had  the 
season  permitted.  Standing  finally  to  the  northward,  he  fell  in 
with  numerous  islands  rich  in  pearls  and  spices,  and  "coasted 
for  eight  hundred  leagues  along  the  southern  shore  of  some  land 
to  him  unknown."  This  can  have  been  no  other  shore  than 
that  of  Papua  or  New  Guinea ;  and  it  is  considered  positive  that 
he  was  the  first  European  to  see  this  since  famous  and  remark 
able  island.  He  found  this  whole  sea  to  be  filled  with  groups 
of  islands  producing  spices  and  the  usual  tropical  fruits.  He 
made  his  way  to  the  Philippines,  where  he  rendered  an  account 
of  his  adventures  since  his  separation  from  Quiros. 

While  these  distinguished  navigators  were  thus  searching  the 
regions  lying  about  the  equator,  another  adventurer,  equally 
enterprising,  was  endeavoring  to  reach  the  Pole.  Henry  Hud 
son,  a  seaman  renowned  for  his  hardy  and  daring  achievements, 
was  appointed,  in  1607,  by  the  Muscovy  Company  of  London, 
to  the  command  of  a  vessel  intended  to  penetrate  to  China  by 
the  Arctic  seas  to  the  north  of  Europe.  His  crew  consisted 
of  ten  men  and  a  boy.  He  advanced  as  far  as  Greenland,  and 
returned  by  Spitzbergen, — being  convinced  that  the  ice  formed 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  305 

ah  insurmountable  barrier  against  farther  progress.  He  again  set 
out  in  1608,  and,  keeping  more  to  the  eastward,  passed  to  the 
north  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and  Russia  as  far  as  Nova  Zembla. 
The  ice  again  stopped  him,  and  he  returned, — persuaded  that 
the  northeastern  passage  did  not  exist.  The  next  year  he  was 
again  sent  upon  the  same  errand;  but,  being  still  unsuccessful, 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America.  He  coasted  along  the  con 
tinent  as  far  as  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  then  returned  to  the 
north,  entering  Delaware  Bay  and  arriving  in  sight  of  the  high 
lands  of  Neversink  on  the  2d  of  September.  This  he  pronounced 
a  "good  land  to  fall  in  with,  and  a  pleasant  land  to  see."  The 
next  morning  he  passed  Sandy  Hook,  and  came  to  anchor  in 
what  is  now  the  Lower  Bay  of  New  York.  "What  an  event," 
says  Everett,  "in  the  history  of  American  population,  enter 
prise,  commerce,  intelligence  and  power,  was  the  dropping  of 
that  anchor  at  Sandy  Hook !" 


HUDSON'S     VESSEL,   THE     HALF-MOON,  OFF    SANDY    HOOK. 

"Here  he  lingered  a  week,"  continues  the  same  author,  "in 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives  of  New  Jersey,  while  a 
boat's  company  explored  the  waters  up  to  Newark  Bay.  And 
now  the  great  question: — Shall  he  turn  back,  or  ascend  the 
stream?  Hudson  was  of  a  race  not  prone  to  turn  back,  by  sea 
or  land.  On  the  llth  of  September,  he  raised  the  anchor  of 
the  Half-Moon,  and  passed  through  the  Narrows,  beholding  on 
both  sides  'as  beautiful  a  land  as  one  could  tread  on  ;'  the  ship 

floating  cautiously  and  slowly  up  the  noble  stream, — the  first  that 

20 


306  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

ever  rested  on  its  bosom.     He  passed  the  Palisades,  Nature's 
dark  basaltic  Malakoff;   forced  the  iron  gateway  of  the  High 
lands  ;  anchored  on  the  14th  near  West  Point ;  swept  around  and 
upwards  the  following  day,  by  grassy  meadows  and  tangled  slopes, 
hereafter  to  be  covered  with  smiling  villages,  by  elevated  banks 
and  woody  heights,  the  destined  sites  of  towns  and  cities, — of 
Newburg'h,  Poughkeepsie,  Catskill ;   on  the  evening  of  the  15th 
arrived  'opposite  the  mountains  which  rise  from  the  river's  side,' 
where  he  found  'a  very  loving  people  and  very  old  men;'   and, 
the  day  following,  sailed  by  the  spot  hereafter  to  be  honored  by 
his  own  illustrious  name.     One  more  day  wafts  him  up  between 
Schodac  and  Castleton ;  and  here  he  landed  and  passed  a  day 
with  the  natives,  greeted  with  all  sorts  of  barbarous  hospitality, 
— the  land  'the  finest  for  cultivation  he  ever  set  foot  on.'     On 
the  following  morning,  with  the  early  flood-tide,  the  Half-Moon 
ran  higher  up,  and  came  to  anchor  in  deep  water,  near  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Albany.     Happy  if  he  could  have  closed 
his  gallant  career  on  the  banks  of  the  stream  which  so  justly 
bears  his  name,  and  thus  have  escaped  the  sorrowful  and  mys 
terious  catastrophe  which  awaited  him  the  next  year." 

He  soon  after  returned  to  England ;  and,  not  being  discouraged, 
nor  finding  it  difficult  to  obtain  the  means  of  continuing  his 
maritime  adventures,  he  set  sail,  in  1610,  in  a  vessel  of  fifty-five 
tons'  burden,  manned  by  twenty-three  men  and  victualled  for 
six  months.  He  touched  at  the  Orkneys  and  anchored  at  Ice 
land.  Mount  Hecla  revealed  to  him  the  magnificence  of  a  volcano 
in  travail,  and  the  Hot  Springs  obligingly  cooked  his  food.  He 
passed  Greenland,  where  the  sun  set  in  the  north.  In  the  course 
of  June  and  July,  he  passed  to  the  northward  of  Labrador,  and 
followed  the  strait  which  now  bears  his  name.  In  spite  of  ice  and 
disturbances  among  his  crew,  which  at  times  assumed  the  cha 
racter  of  a  mutiny,  he  pushed  on  into  the  great  inland  sea  known 
as  Hudson's  Bay.  For  a  long  time  he  did  not  know  that  it  was 
a  bay,  and  naturally  was  led  to  hope  that  he  was  on  the  point 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  307 

of  attaining  the  object  of  all  his  efforts, — a  passage  by  the 
northwest  to  China.  The  extent  of  its  surface  amply  justified 
him  in  these  expectations,  for  it  is  the  largest  inland  sea  in  the 
world,  with  the  exception  of  the  Mediterranean. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  after  seeking  winter  quarters,  his 
men  found  a  suitable  spot  for  beaching  their  vessel.  Ten  days 
afterwards,  they  were  frozen  in,  with  provisions  hardly  sufficient 
to  last,  upon  the  most  meagre  allowance,  till  they  could  expect  a 
release  from  the  ice.  A  reward  was  offered  to  those  who  added 
to  the  general  stock  by  catching  either  birds  or  fish,  or  animals 
serviceable  for  food.  A  house  was  built ;  but  the  season  was  so 
far  advanced  that  it  could  not  be  rendered  fit  to  dwell  in.  The 
winter  was  severe,  and  the  men  lived  at  first  upon  partridges, 
then  upon  swans  and  teal,  and  finally  upon  moss  and  frogs. 
They  assuaged  the  pain  of  their  frozen  limbs  by  applying  to 
them  a  hot  decoction  made  from  buds  containing  a  balsam-like 
substance  resembling  turpentine.  Towards  spring,  they  ob 
tained  furs  from  the  natives,  in  exchange  for  hatchets,  glass, 
and  buttons. 

When  the  ice  broke  up,  they  prepared  to  return, — the  last 
ration  of  bread  being  exhausted  on  the  day  of  their  departure. 
A  report  was  circulated  among  the  crew  that  Hudson  had 
concealed  a  quantity  of  bread  for  his  own  use,  and  a  mutiny, 
fomented  by  a  man  named  Green,  broke  out  on  the  21st  of  June. 
Hudson  was  seized  and  his  hands  bound.  Together  with  the 
sick,  and  those  whom  the  frost  had  deprived  of  the  use  of  their 
limbs,  he  was  put  into  the  shallop  and  set  adrift.  Neither  he, 
nor  the  boat,  nor  any  of  its  crew,  were  ever  heard  of  again,  alive 
or  dead.  They  undoubtedly  perished  in  a  violent  storm  which 
arose  the  next  day,  though,  had  they  survived  it,  they  must  have 
soon  succumbed  either  to  hunger  or  exposure.  Hudson  died  in 
the  bay  which  bears  his  name :  his  name  will  live,  however,  in- 
dissolubly  connected,  as  it  is,  with  the  American  Mediterranean 
and  the  superb  river  and  harbor  which  have  contributed  to 


308  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

make  New  York,  in  seventy-five  years,  the  second  commercial 
metropolis  of  the  world. 

The  wretched  mutineers  made  the  best  of  their  way  home  in 
the  ship  they  had  thus  foully  obtained.  Not  one  of  the  ring 
leaders  lived  to  reach  the  land.  The  rest,  after  suffering  the 
most  awful  extremities  of  famine,  finally  gained  the  shore. 
None  of  them  were  ever  brought  to  trial, — probably  for  the 
reason  that  those  who  had  headed  the  revolt  had  already  paid 
the  penalty  of  their  crimes. 


DUTCH  VESSEL  TRADING  AT  THE  LADRONES. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE    FLEET     OF    JORIS     SPILBERGEN ARRIVAL     IN    BRAZIL ADVENTURES    IN    THE 

STRAIT     OF     MAGELLAN TRADE    AT     MOCHA      ISLAND TREACHERY     AT     SANTA 

MARIA TERRIBLE     BATTLE     BETWEEN     THE     DUTCH     AND     SPANISH     FLEETS 

RAVAGES     OF    THE     COAST SKIRMISHES     UPON    THE     LAND SPILBERGEN    SAILS 

FOR   MANILLA ARRIVAL    AT     TERNATE — HIS    RETURN    HOME THE    VOYAGE   .OF 

SCHOUTEN     AND     LEMAIRE LEMONADE     AT     SIERRA     LEOXE — A     COLLISION     AT 

SEA — DISCOVERY     OF     STATEN      LAND CAPE      HORN LEMAIRfi's      STRAIT AR 
RIVAL    AT     BATAVIA CONFISCATION     OF      THE     SHIPS GENERAL     RESULTS      OF 

THE    VOYAGE THE  VOYAGE   OF  WILLIAM    BAFFIN — ARCTIC    RESEARCHES    DURING 

THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

WE  have  said,  in  a  former  chapter,  that  the  Dutch  succeeded 
the  Portuguese  in  the  possession  of  the  East  Indies.  During 
the  struggle  between  these  two  powers  for  supremacy  over  the 
Spice  Islands,  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  resolved  to  make 
a  vigorous  effort  to  reach  the  Moluccas  by  the  Strait  of  Ma- 

6  309 


310  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

gellan.  They  equipped  a  fleet  of  six  ships,  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  a  new  route.  These  vessels  were  named  the  Great 
Sun,  the  Half-Moon,  the  Morning  Star,  the  Huntsman,  and 
the  Sea  Mew,  and  were  placed  under  the  command  of  Joris 
Spilbergen  as  admiral,  who  had  already  conducted  a  Dutch 
fleet  to  the  Indies.  He  received  his  commission  from  their 
Mightinesses  the  States-General.  He  sailed  from  the  Texel 
on  the  8th  of  August,  1614. 

While  upon  the  South  American  coast,  a  mutiny  broke  out  in 
the  Sea  Mew,  and  the  two  ringleaders  were  condemned  to  be  cast 
into  the  sea, — a  sentence  which  was  rigorously  executed.  They 
entered  the  Strait  of  Magellan  on  the  28th  of  February,  1615, 
but  were  forced  out  again  by  adverse  currents.  They  entered 
again  on  the  2d  of  April,  and  saw  men  of  gigantic  stature 
upon  the  hills,  dead  bodies  wrapped  in  the  skins  of  penguins, 
and  shrubs  producing  sweet  blackberries.  The  mountains  were 
covered  with  snow,  yet  the  woods  were  filled  with  parrots. 
Water-cresses,  and  a  tree  whose  bark  had  a  biting  taste,  induced 
them  to  give  to  an  inlet  the  name  of  Pepper  Haven.  The  natives 
bartered  ornaments  of  mother-of-pearl  for  knives  and  wine.  The 
vessels  entered  the  South  Sea  on  the  6th  of  May,  and  on  the 
25th  anchored  off  Mocha  Island,  half  a  league  from  the  coast 
of  Chili. 

The  natives  were  delighted  to  learn  that  the  strangers  were 
the  enemies  of  the  Spaniards  their  oppressors,  and  to  see  that 
their  ships  were  so  large  and  well  armed.  The  chief  of  the 
island  visited  the  admiral's  ship  and  remained  his  guest  all 
night.  A  hatchet  was  the  price  fixed  upon  for  two  fat  sheep ; 
and  a  hundred  were  obtained  at  this  rate.  The  natives  would 
not  permit  the  Dutch  to  see  their  women,  and  at  last,  when  they 
had  disposed  of  all  the  provisions  and  live  stock  they  had  to 
spare,  made  signs  for  them  to  re-enter  their  ships  and  depart, 
with  which  reasonable  request  Spilbergen  at  once  complied. 

On  the  29th,  the  vessels  anchored  off  the  island  of   Santa 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  311 

Maria,  and,  though  there  were  Spaniards  upon  it,  negotiations 
were  opened.  The  Dutch  officers  were  invited  by  a  Spaniard 
to  dine  on  shore,  and,  having  accepted  and  assembled  for  the 
purpose,  were  either  led  to  suspect  treachery,  or  were  convinced 
that  they  were  strong  enough  to  help  themselves  without  negotia 
tion.  They  summoned  soldiers  from  the  ships,  burned  a  number 
of  houses,  and  carried  off  five  hundred  sheep.  The  Spaniard 
who  was  to  have  been  their  host,  but  who  was  now  their  prisoner, 
informed  them  that  the  Viceroy  of  Peru  had  been  for  some 
months  aware  of  their  approach,  and  that  a  strong  force  was  pre 
pared  at  Lima  to  attack  them.  Spilbergen  determined  to  go  in 
search  of  the  Spanish  fleet :  the  gunners  were  ordered  to  have 
every  thing  in  readiness  for  battle,  and  military  regulations  were 
promulgated, — every  one,  from  the  admiral  to  the  swabs,  being 
determined  to  do  or  die.  One  of  the  orders  was  that  "during 
the  action  the  decks  were  to  be  continually  wetted,  that  accidents 
might  not  happen  from  ignited  powder." 

At  Conception,  the  Dutch  landed  and  set  fire  to  a  number  of 
houses ;  at  Valparaiso,  the  Spaniards  burned  one  of  their  own 
vessels,  that  she  might  not  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands.  At 
Arica — the  seaport  to  which  the  Potosi  silver  was  brought  to  be 
shipped  to  Panama — they  took  a  small  ship  laden  with  treasure. 
On  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  July,  the  Spanish  fleet,  of  eight 
sail,  appeared  in  sight.  The  Jesu  Maria,  the  flag-ship,  had  no 
less  than  four  hundred  and  sixty  men,  and  mounted  twenty-four 
guns ;  and  the  whole  squadron  were  in  the  same  proportion  better 
provided  with  men  than  artillery.  Don  Rodrigo  de  Mendoc,a 
was  the  commander.  He  insisted  upon  an  immediate  attack  by 
night,  saying  that  "any  two  of  his  ships  could  take  all  England,  and 
much  more  these  hens  of  Holland,  who  must  be  spent  and  wasted 
by  so  long  a  voyage."  About  ten  at  night,  the  Spanish  admiral 
and  the  Dutch  admiral  closed, — the  Jesu  Maria  and  the  Great 
Sun.  They  hailed  each  other,  and  some  conversation  passed 
before  a  shot  was  fired.  The  attack  was  then  commenced  by 


312  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

the  musketry,  seconded  by  the  great  guns.  The  ships  of  both 
fleets  came  up  in  succession  and  joined  battle.  The  pomp  and 
circumstance  of  war  were  not  neglected,  for  the  braying  of  the 
cannon  was  accompanied  by  the  sounding  of  tambours  and 
trumpets.  The  Spanish  San  Francisco  received  a  broadside 
which  the  Great  Sun  could  spare  from  the  Jesu  Maria,  and  soon 
after  went  to  the  bottom.  The  Sun  sent  out  one  of  her  boats 
for  a  rescue;  but  it  was  mistaken  by  the  Huntsman  for  an 
enemy's  boat,  and  was  blown  out  of  the  water  by  a  cannon-shot. 
The  night  becoming  very  dark,  the  fleets  were  gradually  sepa 
rated.  The  next  morning  five  of  the  Spanish  ships  sent  word 
to  their  admiral  that  they  were  going  to  escape  if  they  could. 
The  Spanish  admiral  and  vice-admiral  were  lashed  together  for 
mutual  support,  and  were,  in  this  condition,  attacked  by  the 
Great  Sun  and  the  Half-Moon.  The  Spanish  seamen  several 
times  hung  out  a  white  flag  in  token  of  surrender,  which  was  as 
often  cut  down  by  their  officers,  who  chose  rather  to  die  than 
yield,  especially  as  they  had  sworn  to  the  Viceroy  of  Peru  to 
bring  him  all  the  Hollanders  in  chains.  At  nightfall,  the  Jesu 
Maria  cut  herself  loose  and  fled  from  pursuit  ^  but  her  leaks  and 
damages  were  so  serious  that  she  went  to  the  bottom  before 
dawn.  This  decided  the  victory  in  favor  of  the  Dutch,  who  are 
accused  of  allowing  many  of  the  enemy  to  drown  who  might 
easily  have  been  saved. 

The  victorious  fleet  sailed  directly  for  Callao ;  but  the  Spanish 
shipping  in  the  port  was  so  well  protected  by  batteries  that  it 
was  not  thought  prudent  to  attack  them.  Soon  after,  a  vessel 
laden  with  salt  and  sugar  was  captured  and  the  cargo  distributed. 
The  town  of  Paita  was  plundered  and  burned.  No  money  or 
treasure  is  mentioned  among  the  booty.  Keeping  a  sharp 
watch  for  the  fleet  of  Panama,  which  the  Dutch  did  not  care  to 
meet  or  engage,  they  proceeded  to  the  north,  and,  on  the  llth 
of  October,  entered  the  harbor  of  Acapulco,  in  Mexico  or  New 
Spain.  Negotiations  were  entered  into  and  a  treaty  was  made, 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


313 


the  Dutch  agreeing  to  release  all  their  prisoners,  and  the  Spanish 
to  furnish  them  with  oxen,  sheep,  poultry,  fruit,  water,  and  wood. 
Thus  the  Spaniards  saved  their  town  at  a  small  expense,  and 
the  Dutch  found  refreshments  which  they  could  have  obtained 
in  no  other  way. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  they  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  a 
river  reported  by  their  prisoners  to  abound  in  fish,  while  its 
banks  produced  citron  and  other  fruit  trees.  Boats  were  sent 
to  examine  it.  The  Dutch  noticed  that  the  footprints  upon  the 
shore  were  the  prints  of  shoes,  and  not  of  feet  as  Nature  made 
them.  Suspecting,  therefore,  the  presence  of  Spaniards,  they 
did  not  disembark,  but  returned  to  the  ship.  The  next  day  the 
admiral  landed  with  two  hundred  men,  and  was  at  once  attacked 
by  a  strong  body  of  Spaniards  concealed  in  the  woods.  The 
latter  were  repulsed  with  loss,  but  Spilbergen  withdrew  his  men 
to  the  ships,  as  his  ammunition  was  nearly  exhausted. 


THE  DUTCH  SURPRISED  BY  THE  SPANIARDS. 


On  the  2d  of  December,  the  fleet  left  the  American  coast 
and  directed  their  course  west  by  south  for  the  Ladrone  Islands. 
The  next  year — 1616 — was  ushered  in  with  distempers  that 
proved  fatal  to  many  of  the  seamen.  On  the  23d  of  January, 
they  came  in  sight  of  the  Ladrones,  where  they  stopped  two  days 
to  traffic  with  the  natives  for  flesh,  fish,  fruit,  and  fowl.  The 
savages  were,  as  usual,  treacherous  and  given  to  thieving,  and 
at  times  required  the  chastisement  of  powder  and  ball.  The 
fleet  touched  at  the  Philippines  early  in  February,  but  the  In- 


314  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

dians  refused  to  trade  with  them,  as  they  were  enemies  of  the 
Spaniards.  They  entered  the  Straits  of  Manilla,  and  anchored 
before  the  island  of  Mirabelles,  remarkable  for  two  rocks  which 
tower  to  a  vast  height  into  the  air.  The  Dutch  took  several 
barks  laden  with  the  tribute  of  numerous  adjacent  places  to  the 
city  of  Manilla.  They  gained  intelligence  of  a  fleet  of  twelve 
ships  and  four  galleys,  manned  by  two  thousand  Spaniards,  be 
sides  Indians  and  Chinese,  sent  to  drive  their  countrymen  from 
the  Moluccas  and  to  reduce  those  islands  to  the  dominion  of 
Spain.  On  this  news,  they  discharged  all  their  prisoners,  and 
made  preparations  to  meet  the  Manilla  fleet  and  to  proceed  to 
the  assistance  of  their  friends.  They  arrived  on  the  29th  of 
March  at  Ternate,  one  of  the  principal  islands  of  the  group, 
where  the  Dutch  possessed  a  trading-station.  They  were  re 
ceived  with  joy  by  their  countrymen. 

Spilbergen  was  now  detained  nine  months  in  the  Molucca  and 
neighboring  islands,  in  the  service  of  the  East  India  Company. 
A  narrative  of  his  transactions  here  would  be  foreign  to  the  pur 
pose  of  this  work.  He  left  the  ships  in  which  he  had  hitherto 
sailed  in  India,  and  returned  to  Holland  in  the  Amsterdam. 
His  voyage  produced  no  new  discoveries  in  the  South  Sea ;  but 
the  Directors  of  the  Company  bestowed  upon  him  the  highest 
praise  for  his  prudent  management  and  timely  energy.  The 
Company  may  be  said  to  have  dated  their  grandeur  from  the  day 
of  his  return,  both  as  regards  power  and  wealth, — the  first  re 
sulting  from  his  successful  circumnavigation  of  the  globe,  the 
latter  from  their  conquests  in  the  Moluccas,  in  which  he  took  a 
prominent  part,  and  of  which  he  brought  home  the  first  intelli 
gence. 

The  Dutch  East  India  Company  held  from  the  Government 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  trading  in  the  Great  South  Sea, — all 
private  citizens  being  prohibited  from  entering  those  waters  by 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  east  or  the  Strait  of  Magellan 
on  the  west.  This  prohibition  stimulated  rather  than  checked 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  315 

the  commercial  ardor  of  the  country,  and  it  soon  became  the 
study  of  navigators  and  merchants  to  discover  some  safe  means 
of  eluding  the  law,  it  being  hard,  they  said,  that  Government 
should  close  up  the  channels  which  Nature  had  left  free.  Isaac 
Lemaire,  a  rich  trader  of  Amsterdam,  was  the  first  to  whom  the 
idea  occurred  of  seeking  another  passage  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific  than  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  He  imparted  his  views 
to  William  Cornelison  Schouten,  who  had  been  three  times  to 
the  East  Indies  in  the  different  capacities  of  supercargo,  pilot, 
and  master.  He  too  was  convinced  that  to  the  south  of  Terra 
del  Fuego  lay  another  passage  from  one  ocean  to  the  other. 
Could  they  find  this  passage,  they  might  legally  trespass  upon 
the  monopoly  held  by  the  Company.  They  determined  to  at 
tempt  the  discovery,  and  Lemaire  advanced  half  the  necessary 
funds,  Schouten  and  his  friends  furnishing  the  other  half.  Two 
ships  were  fitted  out,  the  larger, — the  Concord, — of  three  hun 
dred  and  sixty  tons,  being  manned  by  sixty-five  men,  and  pierced 
for  twenty-nine  guns  of  small  calibre ;  the  Horn,  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  tons,  carrying  eight  cannons,  four  swivels,  and  twenty- 
two  men.  Schouten  was  master  and  pilot  of  the  expedition,  and 
James  Lemaire,  the  son  of  Isaac,  supercargo.  The  object  of 
the  voyage  was  kept  a  profound  secret,  the  officers  and  men 
being  bound  by  their  articles  to  go  wherever  they  should  be 
required,  and,  in  compensation  for  this  unusual  condition,  re 
ceiving  a  considerable  advance  upon  the  ordinary  wages.  The 
little  fleet  was  equipped  in  the  port  of  Horn,  a»d  left  the  Texel 
on  the  14th  of  June,  1615,  proceeding  towards  the  coast  of 
Africa. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  they  cast  anchor  in  the  roads  of 
Sierra  Leone,  where  they  drove  a  brisk  trade  in  lemons,  easily 
purchasing  a  thousand  for  a  handful  of  worthless  glass  beads. 
Fresh  water  was  obtained  by  holding  casks  under  a  bountiful 
cascade,  and  thus  easily  were  the  materials  for  lemonade  pro 
cured  in  this  favored  spot.  They  then  made  directly  for  the 


316  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

southwest.  While  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic,  the  crew  of 
the  Concord  were  startled  by  her  receiving  a  violent  blow  upon 
her  bottom,  although  no  rock  was  visible.  The  color  of  the  sea 
around  them  changed  suddenly  to  red,  as  if  a  fountain  of 
blood  had  been  discharged  into  it.  A  large  horn,  of  a  substance 
resembling  ivory,  and  solid,  not  hollow,  was  subsequently  found 
in  the  ship's  side,  having  passed  through  three  of  her  planks 
and  entered  the  wood  to  the  depth  of  a  foot,  leaving  at  least  a 
foot  more  upon  the  outside.  The  vessel  had  evidently  been  in 
collision  with  a  narwhal  or  sea-unicorn,  and  the  broken  horn  and 
the  crimsoned  water  plainly  showed  which  had  suffered  most 
from  the  shock. 

Late  in  October,  the  ships'  companies  were  informed  of  the 
design  of  the  voyage,  and  readily  consented  to  engage  in  a 
scheme  which  promised  both  distinction  and  emolument.  Early 
in  December,  they  made  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  some  three 
hundred  miles  to  the  north  of  Magellan's  Strait.  Here  the 
Horn,  the  smaller  of  the  two  vessels,  caught  fire  by  accident 
and  was  destroyed.  Her  iron-work,  guns,  and  anchors  were 
transferred  to  the  Concord.  On  the  24th,  the  Concord  passed 
the  Strait  of  Magellan,  and  was  soon  in  the  latitude  where 
Schouten  and  Lemaire  hoped  to  make  their  grand  discovery. 
While  Terra  del  Fuego  was  still  in  sight  upon  their  right  hand, 
they  noticed  a  high,  rugged  island  upon  their  left,  which  they 
named  Staten  Land,  or  Land  of  the  States.  The  ship  passed 
between  the  two,  and  soon  after  rounded  the  promontory  which 
advanced  the  farthest  into  the  sea,  to  which,  in  honor  of  the  port 
from  which  the  expedition  had  sailed,  Schouten  gave  the  name 
of  Cape  Horn.  He  then  launched  into  the  South  Sea,  being 
the  first  who  passed  completely  round  the  South  American  con 
tinent.  Lemaire  claimed  the  honor  of  giving  his  name  to  the 
strait  which  had  brought  them  to  the  Cape, — one  which  clearly 
belonged  to  Schouten,  as  the  leader  and  pilot  of  the  expedition. 
The  strait  is  still  known  by  the  name  of  the  supercargo,  geo- 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  317 

graphers  having  consecrated,  by  silence,  this  manifest  act  of 

injustice. 

Altering  their  course  to  the  northward,  they  soon  recognised 
the  mouth  of  Magellan's  Strait,— which  rendered  their  discovery 
complete.  They  returned  thanks  to  God  for  their  success,  and 


CAPE     HORN. 


passed  the  wine  cup  three  times  round  the  company.  Schouten 
then  made  for  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  where  he  hoped  to 
give  rest  and  refreshment  to  his  sickly  and  wearied  crew.  The 
currents  and  the  winds  would  not  permit  him  to  land ;  and  he  was 
compelle4  to  start  across  the  Pacific  in  a  crazy  ship  and  with  a 
disabled  company.  Like  Magellan,  who  traversed  this  ocean 
without  seeing  any  of  the  important  islands  which,  just  below 
the  line,  extend  from  America  to  Asia,  forming,  as  it  were,  a 
girdle  from  shore  to  shore,  Schouten  discovered  but  a  few  in 
significant  rocks  and  reefs,  passing  between  and  at  a  distance 
from  the  great  archipelagoes  which  dot  the  Pacific  in  this  lati- 


318 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


tude.  At  one  of  these  spots  his  men  met  an  enemy  more 
numerous  and  formidable  than  any  tribe  of  savages.  Innume 
rable  myriads  of  flies  followed  them  from  the  shore  to  the  ship, 
so  that  they  came  on  board  absolutely  black  with  the  winged 
and  buzzing  infliction.  The  flies  envelope^,  the  vessel  in  a  thick 
and  melodious  cloud,  from  which  the  sailors  were  glad  to  escape 
with  the  first  favoring  breeze.  Schouten  consulted  geographical 
propriety  by  naming  the  scene  of  this  adventure  Fly  Island. 


THE     CONCORD     AT     FLY     ISLAND. 


Early  in  July,  1616,  they  arrived  at  the  Moluccas,  and  went 
ashore  upon  the  island  of  Gilolo,  where  they  procured  poultry, 
tortoises,  rice,  and  sago.  They  next  touched  at  Ternate,  where 
they  were  kindly  entertained  by  the  Dutch  authorities.  They 
sold  their  two  pinnaces,  still  upon  the  deck  of  the  Concord, 
together  with  what  had  been  saved  from  the  Horn ;  they 
received  in  return  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  reals.  With 
this  they  purchased  a  large  quantity  of  rice,  a  ton  of  vinegar, 
as  much  Spanish  wine,  and  three  tons  of  biscuit.  They  then 


MAX    UPON   THE    SEA.  319 

sailed  for  Java,  and  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Jacatra — now 
Batavia — sixteen  months  after  quitting  the  Texel,  having  lost 
but  three  men  upon  the  voyage.  The  expedition  properly  ter 
minates  here ;  for  Jan  Petersen  Coen,  President  for  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company  at  Bantam,  in  Java,  confiscated  their  ship 
and  cargo  as  forfeited  for  illegally  sailing  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  Company's  charter.  He  sent  Schouten  and  Lemaire  to 
Holland,  however,  that  they  might  plead  their  cause  before  a 
competent  court.  Lemaire  died  on  his  way  home,  overcome  with 
grief  and  vexation  at  the  disastrous  end  of  a  voyage  which  had 
been  so  successful  till  the  seizure  of  the  ship.  Schouten  made 
several  subsequent  voyages  to  the  East  Indies,  and  died,  in  1625, 
in  the  island  of  Madagascar.  His  name  is  little  known,  and  his 
memory  has  almost  passed  away,  although  to  him  clearly  belongs 
the  credit  of  improving  upon  Magellan's  discovery  by  furnish 
ing  a  safer  route  to  the  commerce  of  the  world  and  substituting 
the  doubling  of  Cape  Horn  for  the  threading  of  the  Strait. 

During  this  same  year,  the  English  made  their  last  attempt 
for  nearly  two  centuries  in  the  Arctic  waters  of  America. 
William  Baffin,  who  had  accompanied  Hudson  in  one  of  his 
earlier  voyages,  embarked  in  the  capacity  of  pilot  on  board 
the  Discovery, — a  vessel  bound  for  the  northwest  and  com 
manded  by  one  Robert  Bylot.  The  crew  consisted  of  fourteen 
men  and  two  boys.  Passing  through  Davis'  Strait,  they  came 
to  the  vast  bay  which  now  bears  Baffin's  name.  They  found  it 
to  be  eight  hundred  miles  long  and  three  hundred  wide.  They 
ascended  to  the  north  as  far  as  the  seventy-eighth  degree  of 
latitude,  where  the  bay  seemed  to  taper  off  in  a  strait  or  sound, 
which  they  called  Thomas  Smith's  Sound.  Here  Baffin  observed 
the  greatest  variation  of  the  needle  known  at  that  time, — fifty- 
six  degrees  to  the  west.  The  charts  of  Baffin  are  lost;  but 
several  of  his  journals  are  extant,  and  contain  numerous  astro 
nomical  and  hydrographic  observations,  which  have  since  been 
fully  verified  by  the  superior  instruments  of  modern  science. 


320  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

Baffin  saw  the  opening  to  the  west  which  Ross,  two  centuries 
later,  was  to  call  Lancaster  Sound,  and  through  which  Parry 
was  to  penetrate  to  Melville  Island  and  to  the  Polar  Sea.  He 
was  convinced  that  a  northwest  passage  existed,  though  he 
never  made  a  second  voyage  in  search  of  it.  For  one  hundred 
and  sixty  years,  now,  the  Arctic  waters  of  the  American  con 
tinent  were  left  undisturbed  by  adventurers  from  Europe.  Their 
icy  coasts  remained  unvisited  till  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  when  the  energies  of  English  navigators  were  roused 
into,  activity  by  the  reward  offered  by  Parliament, — twenty 
thousand  pounds  to  him  who  should  sail  to  China  by  the  north 
west. 


Section  V. 


FROM   THE    DISCOVERY   OF   CAPE   HORN   TO    THE   APPLICATION   OF 
STEAM    TO   NAVIGATION  ;    1616—1807. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A   FAMOUS     VESSEL THE      MAYFLOWER HER     APPEARANCE — THE     SPEEDWELL 

DEPARTURE      OF      THE       TWO      SHIPS ALLEGED       UNSEAWORTHINESS       OF       THE 

SPEEDWELL THE    MAYFLOWER     SAILS     ALONE THE    EQUINOCTIAL — CONSULTA 
TIONS A  REMEDY  APPLIED FIRST   VIEW  OF  THE    LAND SUBSEQUENT    HISTORY 

AND    FATE    OF    THE    MAYFLOWER. 

WE  have  now  to  narrate  the  incidents  of  a  voyage  without 
precedent,  in  one  point  of  view,  in  maritime  annals,  and  to 
chronicle  the  adventures  of  a  ship  which  may  be  safely  said  to 
have  achieved  a  fame  beyond  that  of  any  other  that  ever 
ploughed  the  ocean.  "When  we  mention  the  name  of  the  May 
flower,  in  which  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  proceeded  from  South 
ampton  Water  to  Plymouth  Rock,  we  are  sure  that  the  distinc 
tion  which  we  claim  for  this  feeble  vessel  will  be  contested  by 
none, — not  even  by  those  who  would  gladly  accord  the  supremacy 
of  the  seas  to  the  Nina  of  Columbus  or  the  Vittoria  of  Ma 
gellan.  The  details  of  the  voyage  are  few  and  unsatisfactory ; 
but  the  vivid  imagination  of  historians  and  orators  has  amply 
supplied  their  place. 

The  Mayflower  was  built  in  England,  at  a  time  when  English 
commerce  could  bear  no  comparison  with  that  of  Holland,  and 
when  the  trade  with  the  latter  power  employed  six  hundred  Dutch 

ships  to  one  hundred  of  English  build.     They  were  picturesque 

21  321 


322 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


in  appearance,  though  tub-like  and  clumsy,  the  hull  being 
broad-bottomed  and  capacious,  while  the  lofty  cabins,  towering 
high  both  fore  and  aft, — a  style  now  obsolete  in  Europe,  but 
still  prevailing  in  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Levant, — caused  them 
to  roll  heavily  in  rough  water.  The  Mayflower  was  a  high- 
sterned,  quaint,  but  staunch  little  vessel  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  tons,  and  was  built  for  one  of  the  trading  companies 
lately  chartered  by  the  Government.  The  Dutch  portion  of 
the  emigration  had  already  embarked  at  Delfthaven  in  the 
Speedwell,  of  sixty  tons,  and  both  vessels  were,  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1620,  anchored  before  the  old  towers  of  Southampton. 
The  pilgrims  were  then  regularly  organized  for  the  voyage, 
being  distributed  according  to  rules  laid  down  and  accepted 


THE     MAYFLOWER. 


1'V  all.  The  larger  number  were  of  course  received  on  board 
tin-  Mayflower.  On  the  5th  of  August,  both  vessels  weighed 
anchor,  and  sailed  down  the  beautiful  estuary  of  Southampton 


MAN   UPON    THE    SEA.  323 

Water :  passing  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  the  rocks  known  as  the 
Needles,  they  entered  the  English  Channel. 

They  were  no  sooner  launched  upon  the  fretful  waters  of  this 
confined  strait  than  their  disasters  began.  The  captain  of  the 
Speedwell,  who  had  engaged  to  remain  a  year  abroad  with  the 
vessel,  actuated  either  by  cowardice  or  by  dissatisfaction  with  the 
enterprise,  declared  that  his  ship  was  leaky,  and  that  she  could 
not  proceed  to  sea.  Dartmouth  Harbor  offered  an  opportunity 
for  effecting  the  necessary  repairs,  and  here  a  week  was  spent : 
the  Speedwell  was  then  pronounced  quite  sound  by  the  carpen 
ters  and  surveyors.  They  again  set  sail ;  but  the  captain  of  the 
Speedwell  soon  profited  by  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth  to  assert 
a  second  time  that  he  was  ready  to  founder.  He  ran  into 
port,  and  the  Mayflower  followed.  No  special  cause  was  dis 
covered  for  the  apprehensions  of  the  captain ;  but  it  was  decided 
that  the  Speedwell  should  be  sent  back  to  London  as  unsea- 
worthy,  with  such  of  her  passengers  as  were  disheartened,  the 
remainder  being  transferred  to  the  larger  ship.  One  hundred 
and  one  persons — some  of  them  aged  and  infirm,  and  several  of 
them  women  soon  to  become  mothers — were  thus  imprisoned,  as 
it  were,  in  a  vessel  much  too  small  to  accommodate  them ;  while 
the  delays  resulting  from  the  treachery  or  stratagem  practised 
by  the  captain  of  the  Speedwell  had  already  proved  so  serious, 
that  it  was  the  6th  of  September  before  the  Mayflower,  with  her 
crowd  of  suffering  passengers,  could  continue  the  voyage  thus 
inauspiciously  commenced. 

The  wind  was  east  by  north,  blowing,  according  to  the  jour 
nal,  "a  fine  small  gale,"  when  the  Mayflower  started  from  Ply 
mouth  upon  her  lonely  way.  The  solitude  of  the  ocean — in  this 
latitude  almost  a  trackless  waste — lay  stretched  out  before  them. 
The  prosperous  gale  soon  gave  way  to  the  equinoctial  storm, 
and  a  terrible  head- wind  from  the  northwest  compelled  the  little 
bark  to  struggle  anxiously  with  waves  which  threatened  to 
engulf  her.  She  was  soon  sorely  shatterel :  her  upper  works 


324  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

were  strained,  and  one  of  the  main  beams  amidships  was  bent 
and  cracked.  A  consultation  was  held  between  the  seamen  and 
passengers,  and  the  question  was  seriously  debated  whether  it 
•would  not  be  better  to  put  back.  It  was  fortunately  discovered, 
however,  that  one  of  the  Dutch  pilgrims  had  accidentally 
brought  on  board  a  large  iron  screw,  and  this  served  to  rivet  the 
defective  beam.  The  ship  proceeded  on  her  course,  struggling 
with  westerly  gales  and  tempestuous  seas.  For  whole  days 
together  she  was  compelled  to  lie  to,  or  to  scud  with  bare  poles. 
"Methinks,"  says  Everett,  "I  see  the  adventurous  vessel,  the 
Mayflower  of  a  forlorn  hope,  freighted  with  the  prospects  of  a 
future  State  and  bound  across  the  unknown  sea.  I  behold  it 
pursuing,  with  a  thousand  misgivings,  the  uncertain,  tedious 
voyage.  Suns  rise  and  set,  weeks  and  months  pass  ;  and  winter 
surprises  them  on  the  deep,  but  brings  them  not  the  sight  of  the 
wished-for  shore.  I  see  them  now,  scantily  supplied  with  pro 
visions,  crowded  almost  to  suffocation  in  their  ill-stored  prison, 
delayed  by  calms,  pursuing  a  circuitous  route,  and  now  driven 
in  fury  before  the  raging  tempest  on  the  high  and  giddy  waves. 
The  awful  voice  of  the  storm  howls  through  the  rigging ;  the 
laboring  masts  seem  straining  from  their  base ;  the  dismal  sound 
of  the  pumps  is  heard ;  the  ship  leaps,  as  it  were,  madly  from 
billow  to  billow;  the  ocean  breaks  and  settles  with  engulfing 
floods  over  the  floating  deck,  and  beats,  with  deadening,  shiver 
ing  weight,  against  the  staggered  vessel."  Only  one  death 
occurred  during  this  terrible  voyage, — a  loss  in  numbers  which 
was  made  good  by  the  birth  of  a  boy,  to  whom  was  given  the 
name  of  Oceanus  Hopkins. 

Sixty-four  days  had  passed,  and  the  9th  of  November  had 
dawned.  Upon  this  date  the  tempest-tossed  pilgrims  obtained 
their  first  view  of  the  American  coast.  "To  the  storm-ridden 
voyager,"  writes  one  of  their  descendants,  "exhausted  by  con 
finement  and  suffering,  the  sight  of  any  shore,  however  wild,  the 
I 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  325 

aromatic  fragrance  that  blows  from  the  land,  are  inexpressibly 
sweet  and  refreshing: 

Lovely  seems  any  object  that  shall  sweep 
Away  the  vast — salt — dread — eternal  deep ! 

And  thus  we  find  that  the  low  sand-hills  of  Cape  Cod,  covered 
with  scrubby  woods  that  descended  to  the  margin  of  the  sea, 
seemed,  at  the  first  glance,  a  perfect  paradise  of  verdure  to  the 
eyes  of  these  poor  sea-beaten  wanderers." 

The  orator  and  statesman  from  whom  we  have  already  quoted 
thus  eloquently  alludes  to  the  providential  circumstances  attend 
ing  the  arrival  of  the  Mayflower  upon  the  American  shore : — 
"Let  us  go  up  in  imagination  to  yonder  hill  and  look  out  upon 
the  November  scene.  That  single  dark  speck,  just  discernible 
through  the  perspective  glass  on  the  waste  of  waters,  is  the 
fated  vessel.  The  storm  moans  through  her  tattered  canvas, 
as  she  creeps,  almost  sinking,  to  her  anchorage  in  Provincetown 
Harbor ;  and  there  she  lies,  with  all  her  treasures,  not  of  silver 
and  gold, — for  of  them  she  has  none, — but  of  courage,  of  patience, 
of  zeal,  of  high  spiritual  daring.  So  often  as  I  dwell  in  imagi 
nation  on  this  scene, — when  I  consider  the  condition  of  the 
Mayflower,  utterly  incapable  as  she  was  of  living  through 
another  gale, — when  I  survey  the  terrible  front  presented  by  our 
coast  to  the  navigator  who,  unacquainted  with  its  channels  and 
roadsteads,  should  approach  it  in  the  stormy  season, — I  dare  not 
call  it  a  mere  piece  of  good  fortune  that  the  general  north  and 
south  wall  of  the  shore  of  New  England  should  be  broken  by 
this  extraordinary  projection  of  the  Cape,  running  out  into  the 
ocean  a  hundred  miles,  as  if  on  purpose  to  receive  and  encircle 
the  precious  vessel.  As  I  now  see  her,  freighted  with  the  des 
tinies  of  a  continent,  barely  escaped  from  the  perils  of  the  deep, 
approaching  the  shore  precisely  where  the  broad  sweep  of  this 
most  remarkable  headland  presents  almost  the  only  point  at 
which,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  she  could  with  any  ease  have  made 
a  harbor,  and  this  perhaps  the  very  best  on  the  seaboard,  I  feel 


326  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

my  spirit  raised  above  the  sphere  of  mere  natural  agencies.  I 
see  the  mountains  of  New  England  rising  from  their  rocky 
thrones:  they  rush  forward  into  the  ocean,  settling  down  as 
they  advance ;  and  there  they  range  themselves,  a  mighty  bul 
wark,  around  the  Heaven-directed  vessel.  Yes !  the  everlasting 
God  himself  stretches  out  the  arm  of  his  mercy  and  his  power 
in  substantial  manifestations,  and  gathers  the  meek  company  of 
his  worshippers  as  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 

"I  see  the  pilgrims,"  he  continues,  "escaped  from  their  perils, 
landed  at  last,  after  a  two  months'  passage,  on  the  ice-clad  rocks 
of  Plymouth,  weak  and  weary  from  the  voyage, — without  shelter, 
without  means,  surrounded  by  hostile  tribes.  Shut  now  the 
volume  of  history,  and  tell  me,  on  any  principle  of  human  pro 
bability,  what  shall  be  the  fate  of  this  handful  of  adventurers. 
Tell  me,  man  of  military  science,  in  how  many  months  were 
they  all  swept  off  by  the  thirty  savage  tribes  enumerated  within 
the  early  limits  of  New  England  ?  Tell  me,  politician,  how  long 
did  this  shadow  of  a  colony,  on  which  your  conventions  and 
treaties  had  not  smiled,  languish  on  the  distant  coast  ?  Student 
of  history,  compare  for  me  the  baffled  projects,  the  deserted 
settlements,  the  abandoned  adventures,  of  other  times,  and 
find  the  parallel  of  this.  Was  it  the  winter's  storm,  or  disease, 
or  labor  and  spare  meals,  or  the  tomahawk — that  hurried  this 
forsaken  company  to  their  melancholy  fate  ?  And  is  it  possible 
that  neither  of  these  causes,  that  not  all  combined,  were  able  to 
blast  this  bud  of  hope  ?  Is  it  possible  that  from  a  beginning  so 
feeble,  so  frail,  so  worthy  not  so  much  of  admiration  as  of 
pity,  there  has  gone  forth  a  progress  so  steady,  a  growth  so 
wonderful,  an  expansion  so  ample,  a  reality  so  important,  a 
promise,  yet  to  be  fulfilled,  so  glorious?" 

The  Mayflower  remained  in  Plymouth  Harbor,  and  was  the 
home  of  the  women  and  children  during  the  severe  winter  of 
1620—21.  She  rode  out  the  storm  at  her  anchorage, — though 
she  was  placed  in  great  danger  by  a  gale  upon  the  4th  of 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  327 

February,  her  want  of  ballast — unladen  as  she  was — rendering 
her  light  as  a  cockle-shell.  With  the  opening  of  spring,  the 
captain  determined  to  return  to  England,  and  offered  to  carry 
back  any  of  the  colonists  who  might  be  disheartened  by  the 
calamities  which  had  overtaken  them, — for  they  had  buried 
half  their  number.  But  their  sufferings  had  endeared  the  soil 
to  them,  and  not  one  embraced  the  opportunity  of  returning. 
The  Mayflower  left  Plymouth  on  the  5th  of  April,  1621,  and 
made  the  run  home  to  London  in  thirty  days.  She  seems  to 
have  performed  several  voyages  back  and  forth,  and,  in  1630, 
arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Charlestown,  with  a  portion  of  Win- 
throp's  company  of  emigrants.  Her  subsequent  history  is  very 
uncertain ;  and  all  attempts  to  ascertain  it  have  been  baffled  by 
the  circumstance  that  several  ships  bore  the  name  of  Mayflower, 
and  no  reliable  means  exist  of  distinguishing  her  of  Pilgrim 
celebrity  from  others  of  obscurer  fame. 


TASMAN'S     VESSEL,— THE     ZEEHAAN. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

DISCOVERY     OF    NEW     HOLLAND — TASMAN    ORDERED     TO     SURVEY    THE     ISLAND — 
DISCOVERY    OF   VAN    DIEMEN'8    LAND — OF    NEW    ZEALAND — MURDERERS*     BAY — 

THE     FRIENDLY    ISLANDS — THE    FEEJEES NEW    BRITAIN — AN    EARTHQUAKE  AT 

SEA — A    COPIOUS    LANGUAGE — CIRCUMNAVIGATION    OF    NEW   HOLLAND RETURN 

TO      BATAVIA — RESULTS      OF     THE     VOYAGE — DUTCH       OPINIONS      OF     TASMAN's 
MERIT. 

THE  Council  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  thought 
proper,  in  1642,  to  order  a  complete  and  precise  survey  of  the 
lands  accidentally  discovered  during  the  previous  fifty  years  by 
vessels  trading  between  Holland  and  Batavia,  in  Java.  These 
had  touched,  at  intervals,  at  numerous  points  upon  the  conti 
nental  island  of  New  Holland, — Hertog  at  Endracht's  Land  in 
1616,  and  De  Witt,  Van  Nuyts,  and  Carpenter  at  other  points, 
somewhat  later.  It  was  eminently  desirable  that  a  scientific 

navigator  should  visit  and  render  an  account  of  this  region,  of 
828 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  329 

which  only  casual  glimpses  had  thus  far  been  obtained.  Cap 
tain  Abel  Jansen  Tasman  was  intrusted  with  this  duty  by  Van 
Diemen,  Governor-General  of  the  Company.  He  left  Batavia 
in  August  with  two  vessels,  the  Zeehaan  and  the  Heemskirk, 
and  proceeded  towards  the  south  and  southeast.  During  this 
portion  of  the  voyage  the  needle  was  in  such  continual  agita 
tion,  unwilling  to  remain  in  any  of  the  eight  points  and  boxing 
the  whole  compass  in  twenty-four  hours,  that  Tasman  was  led 
to  believe  large  mines  of  loadstone  to  exist  in  the  vicinity.  On 
the  24th  of  November  he  discovered  land,  and  gave  to  it  the 
name  of  Van  Diemen's  Land, — a  name  which  it  has  retained, 
though  in  honor  of  its  discoverer  it  is  often,  of  late  years,  called 
Tasmania.  He  saw  no  inhabitants,  though  he  fancied  he  heard 
human  voices.  He  noticed  two  trees,  fifteen  feet  in  girth  and 
sixty  feet  in  height  from  the  ground  to  the  branches.  Up  the 
trunks  of  these  trees  steps,  five  feet  apart,  had  been  cut  in  the 
bark.  By  these  the  natives,  apparently  of  prodigious  size,  had 
climbed  into  the  foliage  and  robbed  the  birds'  nests  of  their 
eggs.  Though  a  sound  resembling  that  of  a  trumpet  had  been 
heard,  though  tracks  of  wild  beasts  were  fresh  in  the  sand,  and 
though  smoke  ascended  from  the  interior  in  several  places, 
no  living  creature  was  seen.  Tasman  set  up  a  post,  upon  which 
every  man  of  the  company  cut  his  name,  and  upon  the  top  of 
which  a  flag  was  hoisted,  and  then  set  out  in  quest  of  the  Solo 
mon  Islands,  which  he  supposed  to  lie  to  the  east. 

On  the  13th  of  September  he  discovered  a  high,  mountainous 
country,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Staten  Land, — Land  of 
the  States,  [of  Holland.]  Its  present  name  is  New  Zealand.  He 
coasted  along  the  shore  to  the  northeast,  and  anchored  in  a  fine 

O  * 

bay,  though  he  did  not  disembark.  The  savages,  who  were  shy 
at  first,  at  last  ventured  on  board  the  Heemskirk,  in  order  to 
trade.  Tasman,  suspicious  of  their  intentions,  sent  a  boat  with 
seven  men  from  the  Zeehaan,  to  put  the  crew  of  his  consort 
upon  their  guard.  These  seven  men,  being  without  arms,  were 


330  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

attacked :  three  of  them  were  killed,  and  the  other  four  forced 
to  swim  for  their  lives.  The  two  vessels  opened  their  fire  upon 
the  canoes  of  the  islanders,  and  Tasman  branded  the  spot  with 
a  name  which  still  exists  upon  the  charts, — Murderers'  Bay. 


MURDERER  S'     BAY. 


On  the  21st  of  January,  1643,  he  saw  three  islands,  in  latitude 
21°  south:  he  named  them  Amsterdam,  Rotterdam,  and  Middle- 
hourg.  The  inhabitants  were  peaceable  and  friendly,  were  un 
acquainted  with  the  use  of  weapons,  and  very  skilful  in  stealing. 
The  natives  called  Amsterdam  Tonga-Tabou;  Rotterdam,  Ana- 
Mocka;  and  Middlebourg,  Eoa.  These  are  now  the  principal 
members  of  the  group  known  as  the  Friendly  Islands.  They 
remained  unvisited  by  Europeans  from  the  time  of  Tasman,  in 
1643,  to  the  second  voyage  of  Cook,  in  1773, — a  space  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  years.  Cook  found  traditions  still  existing 
respecting  Tasman's  ships ;  and  a  nail  was  shown  him  which  had 
been  left  by  the  Dutch  navigator.  Proceeding  to  the  north  and 
then  to  the  west,  Tasman  discovered  a  group  of  twenty  islands, 
girt  with  shoals  and  sands.  He  named  them  Prince  William's 
Islands  and  Heemskirk's  Shallows.  These  now  form  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  Feejee  archipelago.  They  remained  unvisited  for 
a  century  and  a  half,  until  the  people  of  the  Friendly  Islands 
spoke  of  them  to  Cook  and  his  successors  and  induced  them  to 
visit  them. 

Tasman  now  feared  that  the  currents  and  winds  had  driven 
him  more  to  the  westward  than  he  had  supposed;  for  he  had 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  331 

not  seen  the  sun  for  many  weeks,  and  was  consequently  without 
reliable  observations.  He  resolved  to  make  for  the  north,  and 
then  for  the  western  coast  of  New  Guinea,  in  order  not  to  be 
driven  to  the  south  of  the  island  and  pass  it  without  seeing  it. 


NATIVES     OF     MURDERERS'     BAY. 


On  the  1st  of  April,  he  saw  the  coast  of  what  he  supposed  was 
New  Guinea,  but  which  was  in  reality  New  Britain.  Here  an 
earthquake  terrified  the  seamen,  for  the  shock  caused  them  to 
fear  they  had  struck  upon  a  rock ;  but  the  lead  did  not  reach 
the  bottom.  On  the  20th,  they  passed  a  burning  island,  noticed 
by  late  navigators,  and  perceived  flames  issuing  from  lofty  moun 
tains.  The  water  was  full  of  shrubs,  bamboos,  arid  small  trees, 
carried  by  the  rivers  to  the  sea.  The  discharge  of  fresh  water 
by  these  rivers  was  such  that  it  almost  corrected  the  salt  of  the 
ocean.  The  natives  showed  Tasman  some  ginger,  and  sold  him 
hogs  and  cocoanuts.  At  the  island  of  Moa  he  found  the  inha 
bitants  speaking  a  language  so  copious,  that  they  could  at  once 
repeat,  intelligibly,  the  words  of  any  other  language.  Tasman 
did  not  find  it  so  easy  to  speak  theirs,  however,  as  the  letter  r 
occurred  once  or  more  in  every  syllable.  He  purchased,  for 
knives  made  of  the  iron  hoops  of  water-casks,  six  thousand 
cocoanuts  and  a  hundred  bunches  of  bananas,  or  Indian  figs. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  Tasman  reached  the  western  extremity 
of  New  Guinea,  having  sailed  entirely  round  the  continent  or 
island  of  Australia.  He  arrived  at  Batavia,  whence  he  had 


832  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

started,  after  an  absence  of  ten  months.  His  expedition  was  the 
clearest  and  most  precise  of  the  several  voyages  which  had  been 
made  for  the  discovery  of  the  Terra  Australis  Incognita :  few 
voyages,  since  that  of  Magellan,  had  contributed  more  to  geo 
graphical  science ;  for,  by  reducing  the  limits  of  the  Terra  Aus 
tralis,  as  he  did  by  circumnavigating  the  supposed  continent, 
he  did  much  to  rid  geography  of  its  most  important  error. 
Tasman  made  a  second  voyage  in  1644 ;  but  his  journals  and 
his  track  have  been  completely  lost, — probably  by  design,  as 
the  Dutch  did  not  make  geographical  researches  in  the  interest 
of  the  world,  but  exclusively  in  that  of  the  East  India  Com 
pany.  By  his  second  voyage  he  is  believed  to  have  determined 
the  extent  of  the  great  Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  which  so  profoundly 
indents  the  northern  coast  of  New  Holland.  The  portion  of  his 
discoveries  relative  to  New  Zealand  and  the  Friendly  Islands 
has  been  completed  by  Cook;  that  relative  to  Van  Diemen's 
Land  by  d'Entrecasteaux,  in  his  voyage  in  search  of  Lape- 
rouse.  The  fragments  which  remain  of  Tasman's  journals  attest 
his  reasoning  powers,  his  nautical  experience,  and  his  unerring 
judgment.  The  Dutch  never  published  his  own  account  of  his 
adventures,  and  the  few  extracts  which  have  become  public 
crept  by  accident  and  stealth  into  later  works  and  journals 
of  discovery.  A  Dutch  writer  thus  alludes  to  the  indifference 
manifested  by  his  countrymen  in  regard  to  Tasman: — "We  do 
not  know  when  he  was  born,  when  he  went  to  India,  or  when  he 
returned.  In  our  grand  biographical  dictionaries,  where  you 
will  find  every  puerile  detail  respecting  such  and  such  musty 
savant,  only  known  as  a  professor  at  some  university  or  as 
a  quarrelsome  skirmisher  of  the  Republic  of  Letters,  there  is 
no  room,  it  seems,  for  the  first  navigator  of  his  age."  The 
English  have  proposed  of  late  to  substitute  a  name  of  their  own 
for  that  of  Van  Diemen's  Land ;  but  the  appellation  of  Tas 
mania  is  beginning,  as  we  have  said,  for  evident  reasons  of  pro 
priety  to  find  a  place  upon  modern  charts  and  maps. 


A    BUCCANEER. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

PIRACY — ORIGIN    OF    THE    BUCCANEERS THEIR    MANNER    OF   LIFE DRESS — OCCU 
PATION THE    ISLAND    OF    TORTUGA    THEIR    HEAD-QUARTERS THEIR  RELIGIOUS 

SCRUPLES — MANNER    OF    DIVIDING    SPOILS THE    EXTERMINATOR THE  OBSERV 
ANCE    OF    THE    SABBATH EXPLOITS    OF    HENRY     MORGAN IMPOTENCE     OF     THE 

SPANIARDS CAREER    OF    WILLIAM    DAMPIER HIS    FIRST     PIRATICAL    CRUISE 

ADVENTURES     BY     LAND     AND     SEA DESCRIPTION     OF     THE     PLANTAIN-TREE 

LINGERING     DEATHS      BY    POISON REPROACHES      OF     CONSCIENCE THE     NEW- 
HOLLANDERS — DAMPIER' s   DANGEROUS   VOYAGE    IN   AN   OPEN    BOAT — PIRACY 

UPON    THE    AMERICAN    COAST — WILLIAM     KIDD     SENT    AGAINST    THE     PIRATES 

HE    TURNS     PIRATE     HIMSELF — HIS     EXPLOITS,    DETECTION,    AND     EXECUTION — 
HIS    BURIED    TREASURES— WRECK    OF    THE    WHIDAH    PIRATE-SHIP. 

IT  is  necessary  to  pause  at  this  period  in  our  review  of  the 

grand  maritime  expeditions  which  successively  left  the  various 

333 


334  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

seaports  of  the  world,  in  order  to  refer  to  a  practice  which  was 
now  rendering  commerce  hazardous  and  the  whole  highway  of 
the  seas  insecure, — piracy.  Besides  the  numerous  isolated  ad 
venturers  who  preyed  upon  the  vessels  of  any  and  every  nation 
which  fell  in  their  way,  a  powerful  association  or  league  of 
robbers,  who  infested  particularly  the  West  India  Islands  and 
the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  who  bore  the  name  of  Buccaneers,  be 
came,  during  the  century  of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  the 
peculiar  dread  of  Spanish  ships.  We  shall  describe  this  fra 
ternity  in  some  detail.  The  term  buccaneer  is  a  corruption  of 
the  French  word  boucanier,  which  in  its  turn  was  made  from  the 
Caribbean  noun  boucan,  being  the  flesh  of  cattle  dried  and  pre 
served  in  a  peculiar  manner.  The  French  also  called  them 
flibustiers,  this  word  being  a  corruption  of  the  English  word 
freebooters ;  and  this  French  word  has  been  still  further  tortured 
into  "Filibusters," — a  term  now  applied  to  such  Americans  as 
desire  violently  to  extend  the  area  of  freedom. 

The  buccaneers  were  principally  natives  of  Great  Britain  and 
France,  and  first  attract  notice  in  the  island  of  St.  Domingo. 
The  Spaniards  would  not  allow  any  other  nation  than  their  own 
to  trade  in  the  West  Indies,  and  pursued  and  murdered  the 
English  and  French  wherever  they  found  them.  Every  foreigner 
discovered  among  the  islands  or  on  the  coast  of  the  American 
continent  was  treated  as  a  smuggler  and  a  robber ;  and  it  was 
not  long  before  they  became  so,  and  organized  themselves  into 
an  association  capable  of  returning  cruelty  by  cruelty.  The 
Spaniards  employed  coast-guards  to  keep  off  interlopers,  the 
commanders  of  which  were  instructed  to  massacre  all  their 
prisoners.  This  tended  to  produce  a  close  alliance,  offensive 
and  defensive,  among  the  mariners  of  all  other  nations,  who  in 
their  turn  made  descents  upon  the  coasts  and  ravaged  the 
weaker  Spanish  towns  and  settlements.  A  permanent  state 
of  hostilities  was  thus  established  in  the  West  Indies,  indepen 
dent  of  peace  or  war  at  home.  After  the  failure  of  the  mines 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  335 

of  St.  Domingo  and  its  abandonment  by  the  Spaniards,  it  was 
taken  possession  of,  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  by  a  number 
of  French  wanderers  who  had  been  driven  out  of  St.  Chris 
topher  ;  and  their  numbers  were  soon  augmented  by  adventurers 
from  all  quarters. 

As  they  had  neither  wives  nor  children,  they  generally  lived 
together  by  twos  for  mutual  protection  and  assistance:  when 
one  died,  the  survivor  inherited  his  property,  unless  a  will  was 
found  bequeathing  it  to  some  relative  in  Europe.  Bolts,  locks, 
and  all  kinds  of  fastenings  were  prohibited  among  them,  the 
maxim  of  "honor  among  thieves"  being  considered  a  more  efficient 
safeguard.  The  dress  of  a  buccaneer  consisted  of  a  shirt  dipped 
in  the  blood  of  an  animal  just  slain,  a  leathern  girdle  in  which 
hung  pistols  and  a  short  sabre,  a  hat  with  feathers, — but  without 
a  rim,  except  a  fragment  in  guise  of  a  visor  to  pull  it  on  and  off, — 
and  shoes  of  untanned  hide,  without  stockings.  Each  man  had 
a  heavy  musket  and  usually  a  pack  of  twenty  or  thirty  dogs. 
Their  business  was,  at  the  outset,  cattle-hunting ;  and  they  sold 
hides  to  the  Dutch  who  resorted  to  the  island  to  purchase  them. 
They  possessed  servants  and  slaves,  consisting  of  persons  de 
coyed  to  the  West  Indies  and  induced  to  bind  themselves  for  a 
certain  number  of  years.  They  treated  them  with  great  severity. 
The  following  epigrammatic  conversation  is  reported  as  having 
taken  place  between  an  apprentice  and  a  buccaneer.  "Master," 
said  the  servant,  "  God  has  forbidden  the  practice  of  working  on 
the  Sabbath :  does  he  not  say,  '  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor;  and  on 
the  seventh  shalt  thou  rest'  ?  "  "But  I  say  unto  thee,"  returned 
the  buccaneer,  "  six  days  shalt  thou  kill  cattle ;  and  on  the 
seventh  shalt  thou  carry  their  hides  to  the  shore." 

The  Spaniards  inhabiting  other  portions  of  St.  Domingo  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  ridding  the  island  of  the  buccaneers  by  de 
stroying  all  the  wild  cattle ;  and  this  was  carried  into  execution 
by  a  general  chase.  The  buccaneers  abandoned  St.  Domingo 
and  took  refuge  in  the  mountainous  and  well-wooded  island  of 


336  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

Tortuga,  of  which  they  made  themselves  absolute  lords  and 
masters.  The  advantages  of  the  situation  brought  swarms  of 
adventurers  and  desperadoes  to  the  spot ;  and  from  cattle-hunters 
the  buccaneers  became  pirates.  They  made  their  cruises  in  open 
boats,  exposed  to  all  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather,  and  cap 
tured  their  prizes  by  boarding.  They  attacked  indiscriminately 
the  ships  of  every  nation,  feeling  especial  hostility  and  exercising 
peculiar  cruelty  towards  the  Spaniards.  They  considered  them 
selves  to  be  justified  in  this  by  the  oppression  of  the  Mexicans 
and  Indians  by  Spanish  rulers,  and,  quieting  their  consciences 
by  thus  assuming  the  character  of  avengers  and  dispensers  of 
poetic  justice,  they  never  embarked  upon  an  expedition  without 
publicly  offering  up  prayers  for  success,  nor  did  they  ever  return 
laden  with  spoils  without  as1  publicly  giving  thanks  for  their  good 
fortune. 

They  seldom  attacked  any  European  ships  except  those  home 
ward  bound, — which  were  usually  well  freighted  with  gold  and 
silver.  They  pursued  the  Spanish  galleons  as  far  as  the  Ba 
hamas  ;  and  if,  on  the  way,  a  ship  became  accidentally  separated 
from  the  convoy,  they  instantly  attacked  her.  The  Spaniards 
held  them  in  such  terror  that  they  usually  surrendered  on  coming 
to  close  quarters.  The  spoil  was  equitably  divided,  provision 
being  first  made  for  the  wounded.  The  loss  of  an  arm  was  rated 
at  six  hundred  dollars,  and  other  wounds  in  proportion.  The 
commander  could  claim  but  one  share, — although,  when  he  had 
acquitted  himself  with  distinction,  it  was  usual  to  compliment 
him  by  the  addition  of  several  shares.  When  the  division  was 
effected,  the  buccaneers  abandoned  themselves  to  all  kinds  of 
rioting  and  licentiousness  till  their  wealth  was  expended,  when 
they  started  in  pursuit  of  new  booty. 

The  buccaneers  now  rapidly  increased  in  strength,  daring,  and 
numbers.  They  sailed  in  larger  vessels,  and  undertook  enter 
prises  requiring  great  energy  and  audacity.  Miguel  de  Basco 
captured,  under  the  guns  of  Portobello,  a  Spanish  galleon  valued 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  337 

at  a  million  of  dollars.  In  Europe,  immense  editions  of  books 
were  published,  giving  accounts  of  the  barbarities  committed  by 
the  Spaniards  and  of  the  holy  reprisals  waged  against  them  by 
the  buccaneers.  A  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Montbars,  on 
reading  these  narratives,  conceived  so  deadly  a  hatred  for  the 
Spaniards,  and,  after  becoming  a  buccaneer,  killed  so  many 
of  them,  that  he  obtained  the  title  of  "The  Exterminator." 
His  audacity  was  only  equalled  by  his  love  of  shedding  Spanish 
blood,  by  which  he  believed  himself  to  be  avenging  the  unhappy 
victims  of  Spanish  colonization. 

Other  men  joined  the  "Brethren  of  the  Coast" — as  they  were 
sometimes  called — from  less  ferocious  motives.  Raveneau  de' 
Lussan  joined  the  association  because  he  was  in  debt,  and  in 
consequence  of  a  conviction  entertained  by  him  that  "  every 
honest  man  ought  in  conscience  to  pay  his  creditors."  Many 
of  the  buccaneers  were  men  of  a  religious  temperament ;  or,  at 
least,  they  thought  that  proper  respect  should  be  paid  to  ap 
pearances,  and  that  due  deference  should  be  had  towards  the 
prejudices  of  society.  It  was  doubtless  from  such  sentiments 
as  these  that  Captain  Daniel  shot  one  of  his  crew  in  church 
for  behaving  irreverently  during  mass,  that  Captain  Sawkins 
threw  a  pair  of  dice  overboard  on  finding  them  contributing  to 
a  game  of  chance  on  Sunday,  and  that  Captain  Watling  ordered 
his  men  to  regard,  as  the  very  first  rule  of  their  association, 
that  which  instructed  them  to  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day. 

But  the  fame  of  all  the  buccaneer  commanders  was  eclipsed  by 
that  of  Henry  Morgan,  a  Welshman.  The  boldest  and  most 
astonishing  of  his  exploits  was  his  forcing  his  way  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
His  object  was  to  plunder  the  rich  city  of  Panama :  his  expedi 
tion,  however,  opened  the  way  to  the  great  Southern  Sea,  where 
the  buccaneers  laid  the  foundation  of  much  of  our  geographical 
knowledge  of  that  ocean.  He  first  took  the  castle  of  San  Lo 
renzo,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Chagres,  where  out  of  three 

22 


338  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

hundred  and  fourteen  Spaniards  he  put  two  hundred  to  death. 
He  left  five  hundred  men  in  the  castle,  one  hundred  and  fifty  on 
board  of  his  thirty-seven  ships,  and  with  the  rest — who,  after 
deducting  the  killed  and  wounded,  amounted  to  about  twelve 
hundred  men — began  his  progress  through  a  wild  and  trackless 
country  which  was  then  known  only  to  the  native  Indians.  On 
the  tenth  day,  after  a  desperate  combat  with  the  Spaniards,  he 
took  and  plundered  Panama,  which  then  consisted  of  about  seven 
thousand  houses.  His  cruelties  here  were  abominable.  He  im 
prisoned  one  of  his  female  captives,  with  whom  he  had  fallen 
in  love  but  who  repelled  his  advances,  causing  her  to  be  cast 
into  a  dungeon  and  to  be  insufficiently  supplied  with  food.  But 
his  men  murmured  at  the  delay,  and  he  was  compelled  to  depart. 
He  returned  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chagres  with  an  enormous 
booty,  and,  after  defrauding  the  fleet  of  their  share  of  the  spoils, 
sailed  for  Jamaica,  which  was  already  an  English  colony.  He 
was  made  Deputy  Governor  of  the  island  by  Charles  II.,  by 
whom  he  was  also  knighted.  He  proved  an  efficient  officer, 
and  gave  no  quarter  to  the  buccaneers ! 

Morgan's  expedition  had  pointed  out  a  short  way  to  the  South 
Sea;  and  in  1680,  some  three  hundred  English  buccaneers 
started  from  the  Atlantic  side  to  cross  the  isthmus.  They 
formed  an  alliance  with  the  Darien  Indians,  who  furnished  them 
a  quantity  of  canoes  upon  the  Pacific  side.  They  launched  out 
in  these  into  the  Bay  of  Panama,  attacked  three  large  armed 
ships,  took  two  of  them,  and  began  cruising  in  them.  They 
captured  vessels  and  plundered  towns  along  the  coast.  Some 
of  them  remained  a  long  time  in  the  South  Sea,  and  made 
many  discoveries  of  undoubted  benefit  to  mankind. 

The  Spaniards  never  dared  to  defend  themselves  unless  they 
greatly  outnumbered  their  assailants,  and  even  then  they  were 
usually  routed  with  ease.  They  had  become  so  enervated  by 
luxury  that  they  had  lost  all  military  spirit  and  had  well-nigh 
forgotten  the  use  of  arms.  They  had  acquired  from  the  monks 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  339 

the  idea  that  the  buccaneers  were  devils,  cannibals,  and  beings 
of  monstrous  form.  They  revenged  themselves  upon  the  enemy 
whom  they  dared  not  meet  by  mangling  and  subjecting  to  mimic 
tortures  such  dead  bodies  of  the  invaders  as  were  left  behind, — 
an  exhibition  of  impotent  rage  which  only  excited  the  buc 
caneers  to  fresh  cruelties. 

One  of  the  English  buccaneers — William  Dampier — became 
subsequently  an  eminent  discoverer,  author,  and  philosopher. 
After  receiving  a  collegiate  education,  he  went  to  sea  in  northern 
latitudes,  which  for  a  time  disgusted  him  with  a  maritime  life. 
A  voyage  to  the  East  Indies,  the  superintendence  of  a  plantation 
in  Jamaica,  and  three  years  spent  among  the  logwood-cutters  of 
Campeachy,  gave  him  a  strong  bias  for  the  tropical  waters.  In 
Campeachy  he  became  acquainted  with  some  of  the  buccaneers, 
whose  descriptions  of  their  adventures  kindled  in  him  a  fond 
ness  for  a  roving  and  piratical  life.  He  joined  an  expedition 
under  Captain  John  Cooke :  an  English  pilot  named  Cowley 
was  engaged  as  master,  and  embarked  in  complete  ignorance  of 
the  nature  of  the  voyage.  They  sailed  in  August,  1683,  in  the 
Revenge,  mounting  eight  guns  and  manned  by  fifty- two  men. 
Cowley  was  told  the  first  day  that  the  vessel's  mission  was 
trade  and  her  destination  St.  Domingo ;  on  the  second,  he  was 
informed  that  piracy  was  her  object  and  Guinea  her  market. 

Stopping  at  the  Cape  Verd  Islands,  they  resolved  to  go  to 
Santiago,  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  ship  in  the  road,  and  in 
tending  to  cut  her  cable  and  run  away  with  her.  They  saw  a 
ship  at  anchor,  and  approached  her  with  hostile  intent.  They 
were  not  far  off  when  her  company  struck  her  ports  and  ran  out 
her  lower  tier  of  guns.  Cooke  bore  away  as  fast  as  he  could, 
convinced  that  he  was  unable  to  cope  with  a  Dutch  East  India- 
man  of  fifty  guns  and  four  hundred  men.  Some  time  after, 
when  off  Sierra  Leone,  they  fell  in  with  a  newly  built  ship  of 
forty  guns,  well  furnished  with  water,  provisions,  and  brandy, 
which  they  boarded  and  captured.  They  named  her  the  Re- 


340  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

venge,  and  continued  their  voyage  in  her,  destroying  their 
original  vessel.  From  here  they  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Patagonian  coast.  They  doubled  Cape  Horn  during  a  tre 
mendous  storm  of  rain,  which  furnished  them  with  twenty-three 
barrels  of  fresh  water.  The  weather  was  at  this  time  so  cold 
that  the  men  could  drink  three  quarts  of  burnt  brandy  in 
twenty-four  hours  without  being  intoxicated.  They  joined  com 
pany  in  the  Pacific  with  the  Nicholas,  of  twenty-six  guns, 
Captain  John  Eaton,  and  started  together  upon  an  attempt 
against  the  Peruvian  coast.  They  captured  three  flour-ships, 
and  learned  from  the  prisoners  that  their  presence  was  known 
to  the  Peruvian  authorities.  Their  design  upon  the  coast  was 
therefore  abandoned.  They  carried  their  prizes  to  the  Galla- 
pagos  or  Tortoise  Islands,  where  they  might  store  their  captured 
provisions  in  a  secure  place.  They  arrived  and  anchored  there 
on  the  31st  of  May,  1684. 

Proceeding  to  the  northward,  they  descried  the  coast  of 
Mexico  early  in  July,  where  Cooke,  who  had  been  ill  for  some 
months,  died  and  was  buried.  Edward  Davis,  quartermaster, 
was  elected  captain  in  his  stead.  The  two  ships  separated  on 
the  2d  of  September,  the  Nicholas  withdrawing  from  the  part 
nership.  Davis  and  Dampier  remained  in  the  Revenge,  and 
were  soon  joined  by  the  Cygnet,  a  richly-loaded  vessel  designed 
for  trading  on  this  coast.  Her  captain  lightened  her  by  throw 
ing  his  unsalable  cargo  overboard.  They  attacked  Paita  in 
the  month  of  November,  but  found  it  evacuated.  They  held 
the  town  for  six  days,  hoping  the  inhabitants  would  ransom  it ; 
but,  as  this  hope  was  disappointed,  they  set  the  town  on  fire. 
On  the  1st  of  January,  1685,  they  captured  a  package  of  letters 
sent  by  the  President  of  Panama  to  hasten  the  captains  of  the 
silver-fleet  from  Lima,  as  the  coast  was  believed  to  be  clear. 
Being  particularly  desirous  that  the  silver-fleet  should  share 
this  belief,  they  suffered  the  letter-bearers  to  continue  their 
voyage  and  resolved  to  lie  in  wait  for  the  ships.  In  the  mean 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  341 

time  they  captured  several  prizes,  and  manned  them  with  bucca 
neers  that  they  met,  from  time  to  time,  engaged  in  small  enter 
prises  on  separate  accounts.  By  the  end  of  May,  their  fleet 
consisted  of  ten  sail,  two  of  them  being  ships  of  war,  carrying 
fifty-two  guns  and  nine  hundred  and  sixty  men.  The  Spanish 
fleet — consisting  of  fourteen  sail,  eight  of  them  men-of-war,  and 
two  of  them  fire-ships,  the  whole  manned  by  three  thousand 
men — now  hove  in  sight.  The  admiral  of  the  fleet  deceived 
the  buccaneers  at  night,  by  hoisting  a  light  upon  the  topmast 
of  an  abandoned  bark,  by  which  they  were  decoyed  into  a  posi 
tion  which  gave  the  Spaniards  the  next  day  all  the  advantage 
of  the  wind.  Thus  was  the  grand  scheme  adroitly  frustrated. 

Having  thus  failed  at  sea,  they  agreed  to  try  their  fortune  on 
land,  and  chose  the  city  of  Leon,  on  the  coast  of  Nicaragua. 
Four  hundred  and  seventy  men  were  landed  for  this  purpose. 
They  were  met  and  opposed  by  five  hundred  foot  and  two  hun 
dred  horse,  both  of  which  arms  of  the  service  retreated  in  con 
fusion  at  the  first  collision.  As  they  refused  to  ransom  the  city 
for  thirty  thousand  dollars,  it  was  set  on  fire.  A  Spanish  gen 
tleman,  who  had  been  captured  by  the  buccaneers,  was  released 
upon  his  promise  to  deliver  one  hundred  and  fifty  oxen  at  Rea- 
lejo,  the  next  place  which  they  intended  to  attack.  Realejo  was 
taken,  but  yielded  them  little  of  value  except  five  hundred  bags 
of  flour,  with  some  pitch,  tar,  and  cordage,  and  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  promised  oxen.  Captains  Davis  and  Swan  now  agreed 
to  separate, — the  former  wishing  to  return  to  Peru,  and  the 
latter  desiring  to  visit  the  northern  coasts  of  Mexico.  Dampier 
remained  with  Swan  in  the  Cygnet. 

Towards  the  middle  of  September  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
city  and  volcano  of  Guatemala.  Dampier  landed  at  the  port  of 
Guatulco  with  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  and  marched  fourteen 
miles  to  attack  an  Indian  village,  where  they  found  nothing  but 
vanilla  beans  drying  in  the  sun.  They  endeavored  to  cut  out 
a  Lima  bullion-ship  lying  off  Acapulco,  but  failed.  Not  far 


342  MAN    UPON    TUB    SEA. 

from  here  they  robbed  a  caravan  of  sixty  mules,  laden  with 
flour,  chocolate,  cheese,  and  earthenware.  They  found  and 
appropriated  an  abundance  of  rnaize,  sugar,  salt,  and  salt  fish. 
Dampier,  being  afflicted  with  the  dropsy,  was  cured — or,  at  least, 
much  benefited — by  being  buried  up  to  his  neck  for  half  an  hour 
in  the  sand  in  California.  A  profuse  perspiration,  which  was 
thus  brought  on,  was  the  commencement  of  his  convalescence. 

Swan  and  Dampier  were  now  convinced  that  the  commerce 
of  this  region  was  not  carried  on  by  sea,  but  by  land,  by  means 
of  mules  and  caravans.  They  therefore  resolved  to  try  their 
fortune  in  the  East  Indies.  They  sailed  from  California  on  the 
31st  of  March,  1686.  They  made  the  island  of  Guam,  after  a 
voyage  of  six  thousand  miles,  in  seven  weeks,  having  but  three 
days'  provisions  left,  and  the  men  having  begun  to  talk  of  eating 
Captain  Swan  when  these  were  exhausted.  They  found  the 
island  defended  by  a  small  fort  mounting  six  guns,  and  con 
taining  a  garrison  of  thirty  men  with  a  Spanish  governor, — this 
being  solely  for  the  convenience  of  the  Manilla  galleons  on 
their  annual  voyages  from  Acapulco  to  Manilla.  The  governor, 
being  deceived  as  to  the  character  of  the  ship,  sent  the  captain 
some  hogs,  cocoanuts,  and  rice,  and  fifty  pounds  of  Manilla 
tobacco. 

They  learned  here,  from  the  friar  belonging  to  the  garrison, 


BOATS     USED     IN     THE     PHILIPPINE     ISLANDS. 

that  Mindanao,  one  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  was  very  fertile  and 
productive,  and  that  the  natives,  who  were  Mohammedans,  were 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  343 

at  war  with  the  Spaniards.  They  therefore  resolved  to  go  there, 
and  left  Guam  on  the  2d  of  June.  After  seeing  Luzon,  (Matan,) 
where  Magellan  was  killed,  they  anchored  off  Mindanao,  the 
largest  of  the  Philippines  with  the  exception  of  Luzon.  Though 
mountainous,  Darnpier  found  its  soil  "deep,  black,  and  extra^ 
ordinary  fat  and  fruitful."  The  valleys  were  moistened  with 
pleasant  brooks  "and  small  rivers  of  delicate  water,  and  in  the 
heart  of  the  country  were  mountains  that  yielded  good  gold." 

Dampier's  description  of  the  plantain-tree  is  often  quoted  as 
a  fine  specimen  of  descriptive  writing.  "It  is,"  he  says,  "the 
king  of  all  fruit,  not  excepting  the  cocoanut.  The  tree  is  three 
feet  round  and  twelve  feet  high :  it  is  not  raised  from  seed,  but 
from  the  roots  of  old  trees.  As  soon  as  the  fruit  is  ripe  the  tree 
decays ;  but  suckers  at  once  spring  up  and  bear  in  a  twelve 
month.  It  comes  up  with  two  leaves,  within  which,  by  the  time 
it  is  a  foot  high,  two  more  spring  up,  and  in  a  short  time  two 
more,  and  so  on.  When  full  grown,  the  leaves  are  seven  or 
eight  feet  long  and  a  foot  and  a  half  broad.  The  stem  of  the 
leaf  is  as  big  as  a  man's  arm.  The  fruit-stem  shoots  out  at  the 
top  of  the  full-grown  tree, — first  blossoming,  and  then  bearing. 
The  Spaniards  give  it  the  pre-eminence  over  all  other  fruit,  as 
most  conducive  to  life.  It  grows  in  a  cod  about  seven  inches 
long  and  three  inches  thick.  The  shell  or  rind  is  soft,  and,  when 
ripe,  yellow.  The  fruit  within  is  of  the  consistency  of  butter 
in  winter.  It  has  a  very  delicate  flavor,  and  melts  in  the  mouth 
like  marmalade.  It  is  pure  pulp,  without  kernel,  seed,  or  stone. 
A  large  plantation  of  these  trees  will  yield  fruit  throughout  the 
year,  and  will  furnish  the  exclusive  food  of  a  family.  The  mar 
kets  of  Havana,  Carthagena,  Portobello,  &c.  are  full  of  the  fruit ; 
and  they  are  sold  at  the  price  of  threepence  a  dozen.  When 
used  as  bread,  it  is  roasted  or  boiled  before  it  is  quite  ripe ;  and 
sometimes  a  roasted  plantain  is,  as  it  were,  buttered  with  a  ripe 
raw  plantain.  An  English  bag-pudding  may  be  made  with  half 
a  dozen  ripe  fruit ;  and,  again,  plantains  sliced  and  dried  in  the 


344  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

sun  taste  like  figs,  and  may  be  preserved  in  any  climate.  Green 
plantains  dried  and  grated  furnish  an  excellent  flour  for  bread 
or  puddings.  The  Mosquito  Indians  squeeze  a  plantain  into  a 
calabash  of  water  and  drink  it :  they  call  it  mishlaw,  and  it  re- 
resembles  lambs'-wool  made  of  apples  and  ale.  It  drinks  brisk 
and  cool,  and  is  very  pleasant."  Such  was  the  plantain  two 
centuries  ago. 

The  Sultan  of  Mindanao  received  the  strangers  with  favor, 
and  would  gladly  have  induced  them  to  settle  upon  the  island 
and  form  the  nucleus  of  an  English  trading  station.  Dampier 
would  have  remained,  but  the  majority  were  against  him.  After 
a  time,  a  mutiny  broke  out, — the  principal  cause  being  the  want 
of  active  employment;  and,  as  Captain  Swan  manifested  no 
energy  or  address  in  quelling  it,  he  and  thirty-six  men  were  left 
at  Mindanao,  the  rest  escaping  with  the  ship.  Dampier  here 
remarks  that  they  had  buried  sixteen  men  upon  the  island,  who 
had  died  by  poison, — the  natives  revenging  the  slightest  dal 
liance  with  their  women  with  a  deadly,  though  lingering,  dose  or 
potion.  Some  of  the  mutineers  that  ran  off  with  the  vessel  died 
of  poison  administered  at  Mindanao  four  months  afterwards. 


Read,  the  new  captain,  and  Dampier,  cruised  for  some  time 
among  the  Philippine  Islands.  At  one  of  these  they  saw  an 
extraordinary  display  of  surf-bathing  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 
The  art  seemed  to  be  practised  as  well  by  the  women  as  the 
men,  and  children  in  arms  were  taught  to  gambol  in  the  water 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  345 

as  if  it  were  their  native  element,  and  as  if  they  were  born 
web-footed. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1688,  they  touched  a^N"ew  Holland, — 
then  known  to  be  a  vast  tract  of  land,  and  by  all  except  the 
Dutch  supposed  to  be  a  continent.  Here  they  found  a  mise 
rable  race  of  people,  compared  to  whom  Dampier  declares  the 
Hodmapods,  though  a  nasty  race,  to  be  gentlemen  and  Chris 
tians.  They  lived  wretchedly  on  cockles,  muscles,  and  shell 
fish.  They  were  tall,  straight-bodied,  and  thin,  with  small,  long 
limbs.  They  had  bottle  noses,  big  lips,  and  wide  mouths.  They 
held  their  eyelids  half  closed,  to  keep  the  flies  out.  Their  hair 
was  not  long  and  lank,  like  that  of  Indians,  but  black,  short, 
and  curled,  like  that  of  negroes.  A  bit  of  the  rind  of  a  tree 
and  a  handful  of  grass  formed  their  only  clothing.  The  crew 
landed  several  times,  and  brought  the  natives  to  some  degree  of 
familiarity  by  giving  them  a  few  old  clothes ;  but  they  could  not 
prevail  upon  them  to  assist  them  in  carrying  water  or  any  other 
burden.  When  the  savages  found  that  the  ragged  jackets  and 
breeches  which  had  been  given  them  were  intended  to  induce 
them  to  work,  they  took  them  off  and  laid  them  down  upon  the 
shore. 

Dampier  was  now  tired  of  wandering  about  the  world  with 
this  mad  crew,  none  of  whom — not  even  the  captain — had  any 
settled  purpose  or  object  in  view.  Read  was  afraid  that  Dampier 
would  desert,  and  when  off  Sumatra  executed  a  scheme  which 
he  hoped  would  render  it  impossible.  He  gave  chase  to  a  small 
sail  which  was  discovered  making  for  Acheen  in  Sumatra. 
Taking  on  board  the  four  Malays  who  manned  her  and  the 
cocoanuts  with  which  she  was  laden,  he  cut  a  hole  in  her  bottom 
and  turned  her  loose.  This  he  did  in  order  to  render  Dampier 
and  any  others  who  might  be  disaffected  afraid  to  trust  them 
selves  among  a  people  who  had  been  thus  robbed  and  abused. 
At  one  of  the  Nicobar  Islands,  however,  Dampier  escaped,  and 
two  Englishmen  and  one  Portuguese  followed  him.  The  four 


346  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

sailors  of  Acheen  were  also  put  ashore.  The  whole  eight  joined 
company,  purchased  a  canoe,  for  which  they  gave  an  axe  in 
exchange,  and  jet  off  to  row  to  Acheen.  They  had  not  pro 
ceeded  half  a  mile  before  the  canoe  overset.  They  swam 
ashore  dragging  the  canoe  and  their  chests,  and  spent  three 
days  in  making  repairs.  The  Acheenese  fitted  the  canoe  with 
that  universal  Polynesian  apparatus, — an  outrigger,  or  balancer, 
on  each  side, — by  which  capsizing  is  rendered  impossible.  They 


POLYNESIAN     CANOE,     WITH     ITS     OUTRIGGER. 

felled  a  mast  in  the  woods  and  made  a  substantial  sail  with 
mats.  They  put  off  again,  following  the  shore  for  several  days. 
At  length  they  ventured  forth  upon  the  open  sea,  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  dangerous  navigation  before  them. 
They  rowed  with  four  oars,  taking  their  turns, — Dampier  and 
Hall,  one  of  the  Englishmen,  relieving  each  other  at  the  tiller, 
none  of  the  rest  being  able  to  steer.  The  current  against  them 
was  very  strong,  so  that,  when  looking  in  front  for  Sumatra, 
Nicobar,  to  their  dismay,  was  still  visible  behind  them.  A  dense 
halo  round  the  sun,  portending  a  storm,  now  caused  great 
anxiety  to  Dampier.  The  wind  freshened  till  it  blew  a  gale, 
and  they  reefed  the  sail  one-half  of  its  surface.  The  light 
bamboo  poles  supporting  the  outriggers  bent  as  if  they  would 
break;  and,  if  they  had  broken,  the  destruction  of  the  boat 
would  have  been  inevitable.  Putting  away  directly  before  the 
wind,  they  ran  off  their  course  for  six  hours,  the  outriggers  being 
very  much  relieved  by  this  change  of  direction. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


347 


Dampier's  description  of  this  storm  is  graphic  and  quaint. 
"The  sky  looked  very  black,"  he  writes,  "being  covered  with 
dark  clouds.  The  winds  blew  hard  and  the  seas  ran  high.  The 
sea  was  already  roaring  in  a  white  foam  about  us, — a  dark  night 
coming  on,  and  no  land  in  sight  to  shelter  us,  and  our  little  ark 
in  danger  to  be  swallowed  by  every  wave ;  and,  what  was  worst  of 
all,  none  of  us  thought  ourselves  prepared  for  another  world.  I 
had  been  in  many  eminent  dangers  before  now ;  but  the  greatest 
of  them  all  was  but  a  play-game  compared  to  this.  I  must 
confess  that  I  was  in  great  conflicts  of  mind  at  this  time.  Other 
dangers  came  not  upon  me  with  such  a  leisurely  and  dreadful 
solemnity :  a  sudden  skirmish  or  engagement  or  so  was  nothing 
when  one's  blood  was  up  and  pushed  forward  with  eager  expecta 
tions.  But  here  I  had  a  lingering  view  of  approaching  death, 
and  little  or  no  hopes  of  escaping  it ;  and  I  must  confess  that 


DAMPIER'S     BOAT     IN     THE     STORM. 


my  courage,  which  I  had  hitherto  kept  up,  failed  me  here.     I 
had  long  ago  repented  me  of  my  roving  course  of  life,  but  never 


348  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

with  such  concern  as  now.  I  composed  my  mind  as  well  as  I 
could  in  the  hope  of  God's  assistance ;  and,  as  the  event  showed, 
I  was  not  disappointed  of  my  hopes." 

The  preceding  representation  of  the  storm  is  copied  from  an 
engraving  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  which  appeared  in  the 
narrative  published  by  Dampier  himself.  Were  it  not  for  this 
fact,  we  should  not  have  reproduced  it, — as  it  is  very  inaccurate, 
and  does  not  give  the  outriggers,  by  which  alone  the  canoe  was 
maintained  afloat. 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  one  of  the  Malays  cried 
out,  Pulo  Way,  which  Dampier  and  Hall  took  to  be  good  Eng 
lish,  meaning  "Pull  away."  He  pointed  to  the  horizon,  where 
land  was  just  appearing  in  sight.  This  was  the  island  of  Pulo 
Way,  at  the  northwest  end  of  Sumatra.  It  lay  to  the  south; 
and,  in  order  to  make  it  with  a  strong  west  wind,  "they  trimmed 
their  sail  no  bigger  than  an  apron,"  and,  relying  upon  their  out 
riggers,  made  boldly  for  the  shore,  which  they  reached  the  next 
morning,  the  21st  of  May.  The  supposed  island  turned  out  to 
be  the  Golden  Mountain  of  Sumatra.  They  landed,  and,  after 
being  hospitably  received  by  the  natives,  arrived  at  Acheen  early 
in  June. 

At  this  point  the  history  of  Dampier's  adventures  as  a  cir 
cumnavigator  comes  properly  to  an  end.  He  published  a  nar 
rative  of  his  career,  which  he  dedicated  to  Charles  Montague, 
President  of  the  Royal  Society,  and  which  brought  him  into 
favorable  notice.  His  descriptions  have  been  long  admired  for 
their  graphic  force ;  while  his  treatises  on  winds,  tides,  and  cur 
rents  show  a  remarkable  degree  of  observation  and  science  for 
that  age  of  the  world.  His  account  of  the  Philippine  Islands 
and  of  New  Holland  is  still  printed  complete  in  the  numerous 
collections  of  voyages  that  are  constantly  thrown  off  by  the 
English  and  Continental  presses.  Such  was  the  remarkable 
career  of  a  man  who,  though  without  the  ferocity  and  barbarous 
habits  of  the  buccaneers,  was  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  349 

pirate  and  a  freebooter.     We  shall  shortly  have  occasion  to 
mention  him  again. 

We  must  now  refer  to  another  species  of  piracy, — privateer 
ing.  This  did  not  enjoy  the  same  repute  as  in  the  days  of 
Drake  and  Hawkins;  but  several  circumstances  conspired  to 
ren,der  it  a  calling  permissible,  if  not  legitimate.  England  and 
France  were  at  war;  and  private  armed  vessels,  bearing  com 
missions  from  James  II.  and  William  III.  against  the  French, 
roved  the  seas  and  robbed  all  defenceless  ships  which  fell  in 
their  way.  They  attacked  even  the  vessels  of  Great  Britain, 
and  from  privateers  became  pirates.  Many  of  the  Colonial 
Atlantic  ports  of  America  received  them  and  shared  in  their 
spoils.  Fletcher,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  was  bribed  to 
befriend  and  protect  them,  while  the  officers  under  him  were 
regular  contributors  to  the  funds  with  which  corsairs  were 
bought  and  equipped. 

The  English  Government  determined  to  suppress  this  ne 
farious  practice,  and  removed  Fletcher  in  1695,  sending  the 
Earl  of  Bellamont  to  replace  him.  The  latter  suggested  that 
a  frigate  be  fitted  out  to  assist  him  in  the  attempt;  but  England 
could  spare  none  of  her  naval  force  from  the  war  with  France. 
A  proposition,  however,  to  purchase  and  arm  a  private  ship  for 
the  service  was  received  with  favor,  and  several  nobles,  together 
with  Bellamont  and  Colonel  Richard  Livingston,  of  New  York, 
contributed  a  fund  of  six  thousand  pounds  sterling.  Livingston 
recommended,  to  command  the  vessel,  one  William  Kidd,  who 
had  been  captain  of  a  merchant-vessel  sailing  between  London 
and  New  York,  and  of  a  privateer  against  the  French.  Kidd 
was  placed  in  command,  and  Livingston  became  his  security  for 
the  share  he  agreed  to  contribute, — six  hundred  pounds  ster 
ling.  To  give  character  to  the  enterprise,  a  commission  was 
issued  under  the  great  seal  of  England  and  signed  by  the  king, 
William  III.,  directed  to  "the  trusty  and  well-beloved  Captain 
Kidd,  commander  of  the  ship  Adventure  Galley."  This  vessel 


350  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

carried  thirty  guns  and  sixty  men.  Kidd  departed  from  Ply 
mouth  in  April,  1696,  and  arrived  off  the  American  coast  in 
July  following.  He  occasionally  entered  the  port  of  New  York, 
where  he  was  cordially  received,  as  he  was  considered  useful  in 
protecting  its  commerce.  For  this  service  the  Assembly  voted 
him  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  sterling. 

He  now  added  ninety-five  men  to  his  crew,  who  shipped  to  go 
to  Madagascar  in  pursuit  of  pirates.  He  then  sailed  for  the 
East  Indies,  and,  while  on  his  way,  resolved,  possessing  as  he 
did  a  vessel  manned  and  equipped  like  a  frigate,  to  turn  pirate 
himself.  He  seems  to  have  found  ready  listeners  in  the  licen 
tious  creatures  of  whom  he  had  composed  his  crew.  He  arrived 
off  the  Malabar  coast,  in  Hindostan,  where  he  pillaged  vessels 
manned  by  Indian,  Arab,  and  Christian  crews.  He  lay  in  wait 
for  a  convoy  laden  with  treasure,  but,  finding  it  well  guarded, 
abandoned  the  attempt.  He  landed  from  time  to  time,  burned 
settlements,  murdered  and  tortured  the  inhabitants,  and  placed 
a  price  upon  the  heads  of  such  persons  as  he  thought  their 
friends  would  ransom.  He  was  once  pursued  by  two  Portu 
guese  men-of-war,  whom  he  fought  and  then  contrived  to  elude. 
He  captured  a  merchantman  named  the  Quedagh,  and,  refusing 
the  offered  ransom  of  thirty  thousand  rupees,  sold  her  and  her 
cargo  at  a  pirates'  rendezvous  for  forty  thousand  dollars.  He 
exchanged  the  Adventure  for  a  larger  vessel,  and  established 
himself  at  Madagascar.  Here  he  lay  in  ambush,  plundering  the 
flags  of  every  nation.  He  made  himself  dreaded,  as  a  bloody, 
cruel,  and  remorseless  bandit,  from  Malabar  and  the  Red  Sea 
across  the  Atlantic  to  the  West  Indies  and  the  American  coast. 
He  arrived  at  New  York  in  1698,  laden,  it  is  asserted,  with 
more  spoil  than  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  any  other  individual.  He 
found  Bellamont  Governor  in  place  of  Fletcher,  and  deemed  it 
necessary  to  conceal  his  treasures.  He  sailed  along  the  shore 
of  Long  Island  as  far  as  Gardiner's  Island,  at  the  eastern  end. 
He  here  disembarked,  and,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  John  Gar- 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  351 

diner,  the  owner  of  the  island,  whom  he  placed  under  the  most 
solemn  injunction  to  secrecy,  buried  a  quantity  of  gold,  silver, 
and  precious  stones. 

After  satisfying  his  crew  by  such  a  division  of  the  remainder 
as  they  considered  equitable,  he  dismissed  them,  and  had  the 
audacity  to  appear  in  the  streets  of  Boston  in  the  dress  of  a 
gentleman  of  leisure.  Bellamont,  who  was  Governor  of  Massa 
chusetts  and  New  Hampshire  as  well  as  of  New  York,  met  him, 
caused  his  arrest,  and  sent  him  to  England  for  trial.  He  was 
arraigned  for  the  murder  of  the  gunner  of  his  ship,  whom  he 
had  killed  with  a  bucket.  Being  convicted,  he  was  hung  in 
chains  at  Execution  Dock  on  the  12th  of  May,  1701.  The 
ballad  which  was  written  upon  his  death  has  survived,  and  is  a 
favorable  specimen  of  doggerel  versification.  We  subjoin  the 
most  striking  stanzas : 

My  name  was  William  Kidd  when  I  sail'd,  when  I  sail'd ; 

My  name  was  William  Kidd  when  I  sail'd ; 
My  name  was  William  Kidd,  God's  laws  I  did  forbid, 

And  so  wickedly  I  did,  when  I  sail'd. 

I  cursed  my  father  dear  when  I  sail'd,  when  I  sail'd ; 

I  cursed  my  father  dear  when  I  sail'd  ; 
I  cursed  my  father  dear,  and  her  that  did  me  bear, 

And  so  wickedly  did  swear,  when  I  sail'd. 

I'd  a  Bible  in  my  hand  when  I  sail'd,  when  I  sail'd  ; 

I'd  a  Bible  in  my  hand  when  I  sail'd ; 
I'd  a  Bible  in  my  hand,  by  my  father's  great  command, 

And  I  sunk  it  in  the  sand,  when  I  sail'd. 

I  murder'd  William  Moore  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd  ; 

I  murder'd  William  Moore  as  I  sail'd ; 
I  murder'd  William  Moore,  and  left  him  in  his  gore, 

Not  many  leagues  from  shore,  as  I  sail'd. 

And  being  cruel  still,  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd, 

And  being  cruel  still,  as  I  sail'd, 
And  being  cruel  still,  my  gunner  I  did  kill, 

And  his  precious  blood  did  spill,  as  I  sail'd. 

My  mate  was  sick  and  died  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd  ; 
My  mate  was  sick  and  died  as  I  sail'd  ; 


352  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

My  mate  was  sick  and  died,  which  me  much  terrified, 
When  he  call'd  me  to  his  bedside,  as  I  sail'd. 

And  unto  me  he  did  say,  See  me  die,  see  me  die  ; 

And  unto  me  he  did  say,  See  me  die  ; 
And  unto  me  he  did  say,  Take  warning  now  by  me, 

There  comes  a  reckoning  day :  you  must  die. 

I  thought  I  was  undone,  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd  ; 

I  thought  I  was  undone,  as  I  sail'd ; 
I  thought  I  was  undone,  and  my  wicked  glass  had  run, 

But  my  health  did  soon  return,  as  I  sail'd. 

My  repentance  lasted  not  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd ; 

My  repentance  lasted  not  as  I  sail'd ; 
My  repentance  lasted  not ;  my  TOWS  I  soon  forgot ; 

Damnation's  my  just  lot,  as  I  sail'd. 

I  spied  three  ships  of  Spain  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd ; 

I  spied  three  ships  of  Spain  as  I  sail'd ; 
I  spied  three  ships  of  Spain,  I  fired  on  them  amain, 

Till  most  of  them  were  slain,  as  I  sail'd. 

I'd  ninety  bars  of  gold  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd  ; 

I'd  ninety  bars  of  gold  as  I  sail'd  ; 
I'd  ninety  bars  of  gold,  and  dollars  manifold, 

With  riches  uncontroll'd,  as  I  sail'd. 

Then  fourteen  ships  I  saw  as  I  sail'd,  as  I  sail'd  ; 

Then  fourteen  ships  I  saw  as  I  sail'd  ; 
Then  fourteen  ships  I  saw,  and  brave  men  they  were, 

Ah,  they  were  too  much  for  me,  as  I  sail'd. 

Thus  being  o'ertaken  at  last,  I  must  die,  I  must  die ; 

Thus  being  o'ertaken  at  last,  I  must  die  ; 
Thus  being  o'ertaken  at  last,  and  into  prison  cast, 

And  sentence  being  pass'd,  I  must  die. 

Farewell  the  raging  sea,  I  must  die,  I  must  die ; 

Farewell  the  raging  main,  I  must  die ; 
Farewell  the  raging  main,  to  Turkey,  France,  and  Spain, 

I  shall  ne'er  see  you  again  :  I  must  die. 

To  Newgate  now  I'm  cast,  and  must  die,  and  must  die ; 

To  Newgate  now  I'm  cast,  and  must  die ; 
To  Newgate  now  I'm  cast,  with  a  sad  and  heavy  heart, 

To  receive  my  just  desert :  I  must  die. 

To  Execution  Dock  I  must  go,  I  must  go ; 
To  Execution  Dock  I  must  go ; 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  353 

To  Execution  Dock  will  many  thousands  flock, 
But  I  must  bear  the  shock :  I  must  die. 

Come,  all  you  young  and  old,  see  me  die,  see  me  die ; 

Come,  all  you  young  and  old,  see  me  die  ; 
Come,  all  you  young  and  old,  you're  welcome  to  my  gold, 

For  by  it  I've  lost  my  soul,  and  must  die. 

Bellamont,  having  in  some  way  learned  that  treasure  had  been 
concealed  upon  Gardiner's  Island,  sent  commissioners  to  secure 
it.  They  found  a  box  containing  seven  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  ounces  of  gold,  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven  ounces  of 
silver,  a  bag  of  silver  rings,  a  bag  of  unpolished  stones,  a 
quantity  of  agates,  amethysts,  and  silver  buttons.  For  this 
they  gave  a  receipt  to  Mr.  Gardiner,  which  is  still  preserved  by 
the  family.  Other  sums  were  discovered  at  various  periods  in 
the  possession  of  persons  who  had  had  relations  with  Kidd ;  but 
the  soil  of  Long  Island  never  yielded  up  any  other  booty  than 
the  box  which  we  have  mentioned. 

It  was  natural  that  the  knowledge  that  Kidd  had  buried  a 
portion  of  his  spoil,  that  his  companions  had  shared  his  good 
fortune  according  to  their  rank,  that  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
was  the  rendezvous  of  pirates  for  years, — it  was  natural  that 
this  knowledge  should  induce  the  prevalent  belief  that  it  was 
the  custom  among  them  thus  to  conceal  their  booty,  and  that 
the  spot  chosen  by  Kidd  was,  perhaps,  the  scene  of  the  deposits 
of  the  entire  gang.  It  was  evident,  too,  that,  unless  rumor  had 
greatly  exaggerated  the  value  of  Kidd's  ill-gotten  gains,  the  box 
of  gold  and  silver  reckoned  in  ounces  was  but  a  tithe  of  what 
he  had  buried.  It  was  thus  that  was  created  that  feverish  ex 
citement  which  stimulated  eager  searchers  for  piratical  store 
along  the  coasts  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  and  particu 
larly  among  the  islets  of  the  Sound.  This  search  has  been 
again  and  again  renewed,  and  even  now,  at  the  distance  of  a 
century  and  a  half,  the  hope  of  discovering  the  abandoned 
wealth  of  the  great  pirate  is  not  altogether  extinct. 

Romances,    ballads,    and   tales   without   number  have   been 

23 


354 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


written  upon  the  adventures  of  Captain  Kidd,  his  fate,  and  his 
money.  The  most  remarkable  of  these  is  the  "  Gold-Bug"  of 
Edgar  A.  Poe,  which  details  the  incidents  of  an  imaginary  Effort 
made  to  recover  the  treasure  the  corsair  had  entombed. 


WRECK    OF    THE   PIRATE-SHIP    WHIDAH. 

Piracy  did  not  disappear  with  Kidd.  The  coasts  of  the  Caro- 
linas  were  for  a  long  time  infested  with  freebooters,  though  at 
various  times  some  fifty  of  them  were  hung  in  Charleston.  In 
1717,  the  famous  and  dreaded  privateer  Whidah  was  wrecked 
upon  the  shores  of  Cape  Cod.  This  vessel  carried  twenty-three 
guns,  one  hundred  and  thirty  men,  and  was  commanded  by 
Samuel  Bellamy.  The  dead  bodies  of  all  but  six  floated  ashore : 
these  six  were  taken  alive  and  executed.  This  was  a  severe  loss 
to  the  pirates.  But  the  decisive  blow  against  them  was  not  struck 
till  1723.  The  British  man-of-war  Greyhound  captured  a  craft 
with  twenty-five  men  and  carried  them  into  Rhode  Island. 
They  were  tried,  found  guilty,  and  hung,  at  Newport,  in  July. 
This  was  the  end  of  piracy  in  the  American  waters. 


HOME     OF     ALEXANDER     SELKIRK. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE     VOYAGE    OF    WOODES    ROGERS DESERTION     CHECKED     BY    A    NOVEL    CIRCUM 
STANCE A    LIGHT     SEEN     UPON     THE     ISLAND     OF     JUAN     FERNANDEZ — A    BOAT 

SENT    TO    RECONNOITRE ALEXANDER  SELKIRK  DISCOVERED HIS    HISTORY  AND 

ADVENTURES — HIS    DRESS,    FOOD,    AND    OCCUPATIONS HE    SHIPS    WITH    ROGERS 

AS  SECOND  MATE TURTLES  AND  TORTOISES — FIGHT  WITH  A  SPANISH  TREA 
SURE-SHIP PROFITS  OF  THE  VOYAGE — THE  SOUTH  SEA  BUBBLE — ITS  INFLA 
TION  AND  COLLAPSE — MEASURES  OF  RELIEF. 

A  COMPANY  of  merchants  of  Bristol  fitted  out  two  ships  in 
1708 — the  Duke  and  Duchess — to  cruise  against  the  Spaniards 
in  the  South  Sea.  The  Duke  was  commanded  by  Woodes  Rogers, 
the  Duchess  by  Stephen  Courtney.  William  Dampier,  whose 
name  had  long  been  a  terror  to  the  Spaniards,  was  pilot  to  the 
larger  ship.  They  left  Bristol  on  the  14th  of  July,  with  fifty- 
six  guns  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  men,  and  with 

355 


356  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

double  the  usual  number  of  officers,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
mutinies  so  common  in  privateers. 

Nothing  of  moment  occurred  till  the  vessels  anchored  at  Isola 
Grande,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Here  two  men  deserted,  but 
were  so  frightened  in  the  night  by  tigers,  as  they  supposed,  but 
in  reality  by  monkeys  and  baboons,  that  they  took  refuge  in  the 
sea  and  shouted  till  they  were  taken  on  board.  The  two  ships 
passed  through  Lemaire's  Strait  and  doubled  Cape  Horn,  and,  on 
the  31st  of  January,  1709,  made  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez. 
During  the  night  a  light  was  observed  on  shore,  and  Captain 
Rogers  made  up  his  mind  that  a  French  fleet  was  riding  at 
anchor,  and  ordered  the  decks  to  be  cleared  for  action.  At  day 
light  the  vessels  stood  in  towards  the  land;  but  no  French  fleet — 
not  even  a  single  sail — was  to  be  seen.  A  yawl  was  sent  forward 
to  reconnoitre.  As  it  drew  near,  a  man  was  seen  upon  the  shore 
waving  a  white  flag ;  and,  on  its  nearer  approach,  he  directed 
the  sailors,  in  the  English  language,  to  a  spot  where  they  could 
best  effect  a  landing.  He  was  clad  in  goat-skins,  and  appeared 
more  wild  and  ragged  than  the  original  owners  of  his  apparel. 
His  name  has  long  been  known  throughout  the  inhabited  world, 
and  his  story  is  familiar  in  every  language.  We  need  hardly 
say  that  his  name  was  Alexander  Selkirk,  and  that  his  adven 
tures  furnished  the  basis  of  the  romance  of  Robinson  Crusoe. 

Alexander  Selkirk  was  a  Scotchman,  and  had  been  left  upon 
the  island  by  Captain  Stradling,  of  the  Cinqueports,  four  years 
and  four  months  before.  During  his  stay  he  had  seen  several 
ships  pass  by,  but  only  two  came  to  anchor  at  the  island.  They 
were  Spaniards,  and  fired  at  him ;  but  he  escaped  into  the  woods. 
He  said  he  would  have  surrendered  to  them  had  they  been 
French ;  but  he  chose  to  run  the  risk  of  dying  alone  upon  the 
island  rather  than  fall  into  the  hands  of  Spaniards,  as  he  feared 
they  would  either  put  him  to  death  or  make  him  a  slave  -in  their 
mines.  "He  told  us,"  says  Rogers,  "that  he  was  born  in  Largo, 
in  the  county  of  Fife,  and  was  bred  a  sailor  from  his  youth. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  357 

The  reason  of  his  being  left  here  was  a  difference  with  his  cap 
tain,  which,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  ship  was  leaky,  made 
him  willing  to  stay  behind ;  but  when  at  last  he  was  inclined  to  go 
with  the  ship  the  captain  would  not  receive  him.  He  took  with 
him  his  clothes  and  bedding,  with  a  firelock  and  some  powder 
and  bullets,  some  tobacco,  a  knife,  a  kettle,  a  Bible,  with  other 
books,  and  his  mathematical  instruments.  He  diverted  himself 
and  provided  for  his  sustenance  as  well  as  he  could,  but  had  much 
ado  to  bear  up  against  melancholy  for  the  first  eight  months, 
and  was  sore  distressed  at  being  left  alone  in  so  desolate  a  place. 
He  built  himself  two  huts  of  pimento-trees,  thatched  with  long 
grass  and  lined  with  goat-skins, — killing  goats  as  he  needed 
them  with  his  gun,  as  long  as  his  powder  lasted.  When  that 
was  all  spent,  he  procured  fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks  of  pimento 
wood  together.  He  slept  in  his  large  hut  and  cooked  his 
victuals  in  the  smaller,  and  employed  himself  in  reading,  pray 
ing,  and  singing  psalms, — so  that,  he  said  he  was  a  better 
Christian  during  his  solitude  than  he  had  ever  been  before,  or 
than,  he  was  afraid,  he  should  ever  be  again. 

"At  first  he  never  ate  but  when  constrained  by  hunger, — 
partly  from  grief,  and  partly  for  want  of  bread  and  salt. 
Neither  did  he  go  to  bed  till  he  could  watch  no  longer, — the 
pimento  wood  serving  him  both  for  fire  and  candle,  as  it  burned 
very  clear  and  refreshed  him  by  its  fragrant  smell.  His  fish 
he  sometimes  boiled,  and  at  other  times  broiled,  as  he  did  his 
goats'  flesh,  of  which  he  made  good  broth;  for  they  are  not  as 
rank  as  our  goats.  Having  kept  an  account,  he  said  he  had 
killed  five  hundred  goats  while  on  the  island,  besides  having 
caught  as  many  more,  which  he  marked  on  the  ear  and  let  them 
go.  When  his  powder  failed,  he  ran  them  down  by  speed  of 
foot ;  for  his  mode  of  living,  with  continual  exercise  of  walking 
and  running,  cleared  him  of  all  gross  humors,  so  that  he  could 
run  with  wonderful  swiftness  through  the  woods  and  up  the  hills 
and  rocks. 


358 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


"  He  came  at  length  to  relish  his  meat  well  enough  without 
salt.  In  the  proper  season  he  had  plenty  of  good  turnips, 
which  had  been  sowed  there  bj  the  crew  of  the  ship  and  had 
now  spread  over  several  acres  of  ground.  The  cabbage-palm 
furnished  him  with  cabbage  in  abundance,  and  the  fruit  of  the 
pimento — the  same  as  Jamaica  pepper — with  a  pleasant  season 
ing  for  his  food.  He  soon  wore  out  his  shoes  and  other  clothes 
by  running  in  the  woods ;  and,  being  forced  to  shift  without,  his 
feet  became  so  hard  that  he  ran  about  everywhere  without  in 
convenience,  and  could  not  again  wear  shoes  without  suffering 
from  swelled  feet.  After  he  had  got  the  better  of  his  melan- 


SELKIRK     AND     HIS     FAMILY. 


choly,  he  sometimes  amused  himself  with  carving  his  name  on 
the  trees,  together  with  the  date  of  his  arrival  and  the  duration 
of  his  solitude.  At  first  he  was  much  pestered  with  cats  and 
rats,  which  had  bred  there  in  great  numbers  from  some  of  each 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  359 

species  which  had  got  on  shore  from  ships  that  had  wooded  and 
watered  at  the  island.  The  rats  gnawed  his  feet  and  clothes 
when  he  was  asleep,  which  obliged  him  to  cherish  the  cats,  by 
feeding  them  with  goats'  flesh,  so  that  many  of  them  became  so 
tame  that  they  used  to  lie  beside  him  in  hundreds,  and  soon 
delivered  him  from  the  rats.  He  also  tamed  some  kids,  and,  for 
his  diversion,  would  sometimes  sing  and  dance  with  them  and 
his  cats.  So  that  by  the  favor  of  Providence  and  the  vigor  of 
youth — for  he  was  now  only  thirty  years  of  age — he  came  at 
length  to  conquer  all  the  inconveniences  of  his  solitude,  and  to 
be  quite  easy  in  his  mind. 

"When  his  clothes  were  worn  out,  he  made  himself  a  coat 
and  a  cap  of  goat-skins,  which  he  stitched  together  with  thongs 
of  the  same  cut  out  with  his  knife, — using  a  nail  by  way  of  a 
needle  or  awl.  When  his  knife  was  worn  out,  he  made  others 
as  well  as  he  could  of  old  hoops  that  had  been  left  upon  the 
shore,  which  he  beat  out  thin  between  two  stones  and  grinded 
to  an  edge  on  a  smooth  stone.  Having  some  linen  cloth,  he 
sewed  himself  some  shirts  by  means  of  a  nail  for  a  needle, 
stitching  them  with  worsted  which  he  pulled  out  from  his  old 
stockings ;  and  he  had  the  last  of  his  shirts  on  when  we  found 
him.  At  his  first  coming  on  board,  he  had  so  much  forgotten 
his  language,  for  want  of  use,  that  we  could  scarcely  understand 
him,  as  he  seemed  to  speak  his  words  only  by  halves.  We 
offered  him  a  dram,  which  he  refused,  having  drunk  nothing  but 
water  all  the  time  he  had  been  upon  the  island ;  and  it  was  some 
time  before  he  could  relish  our  provisions.  He  had  seen  no 
venomous  or  savage  creature  on  the  island,  nor  any  other  animal 
than  goats,  bred  there  from  a  few  brought  by  Juan  Fernandez, 
a  Spaniard  who  settled  there  with  a  few  families  till  the  oppo 
site  continent  of  Chili  began  to  submit  to  the  Spaniards,  when 
they  removed  there  as  more  profitable." 

Captain  Rogers  remained  here  a  fortnight,  refitting  his  ship. 
The  "governor,"  as  his  men  called  Selkirk,  never  failed  to  pro- 


360  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

cure  two  or  three  goats  a  day  for  the  sick.  They  boiled  up  and 
refined  eighty  gallons  of  seal-oil,  in  order  to  save  their  candles. 
On  the  13th  of  February,  it  was  determined  that  two  men  from 
the  Duke  should  sail  on  board  the  Duchess,  and  two  from  the 
Duchess  on  board  the  Duke,  to  see  that  justice  was  reciprocally 
done  by  each  ship's  company  to  the  other  in  the  division  of 
prizes ;  and  on  the  14th  the  anchors  were  weighed,  Alexander 
Selkirk  shipping  on  board  the  Duke  as  second  mate. 

When  off  the  Lobos  Islands,  they  took  a  prize,  which  they 
named  The  Beginning.  They  learned  from  their  prisoners  that 
the  widow  of  the  late  Viceroy  of  Peru  was  soon  to  embark  at 
Callao  for  Acapulco,  with  her  family  and  riches;  and  they 
determined  to  lie  in  wait  for  her.  In  the  mean  time  they  landed 
and  took  the  town  of  Guayaquil,  but  consented  to  its  ransom 
for  thirty  thousand  dollars.  They  also  seized  thirteen  small 
vessels,  from  which  they  took  meal,  onions,  quinces,  pomegra 
nates,  oil,  indigo,  pitch,  sugar,  gunpowder,  and  rice. 

At  the  Gallapagos  Islands  they  laid  in  a  large  stock  of  sea- 
turtles  and  land-tortoises,  some  of  the  former  "weighing  four 
hundred  pounds,  while  the  latter  laid  eggs  in  profusion  upon  the 
decks.  Some  of  the  men  affirmed  that  they  had  seen  one  four 


feet  high,  that  two  of  their  party  had  mounted  on  its  back,  and 
that  it  easily  carried  them  at  its  usual  slow  pace,  not  appearing 
to  regard  their  weight.  This  monster  was  supposed  to  weigh 
seven  hundred  pounds  at  least. 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  361 

Having  made  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and  having  determined  to 
wait  only  eight  days  either  for  the  Manilla  galleon  or  the  ship 
of  the  viceroy's  widow,  they  were  rejoiced  to  descry,  on  the 
morning  of  the  22d  of  December,  the  Spanish  treasure-ship 
on  the  weather  bow.  Preparations  were  made  for  action,  and 
a  large  kettle  of  chocolate  was  boiled  for  the  crew  in  lieu 
of  spirituous  liquor.  Prayers  were  then  said,  but  were  inter 
rupted,  before  they  were  concluded,  by  a  shot  from  the  enemy. 
She  had  barrels  hung  at  her  yard-arm,  which  seemed  to  warn 
the  English  of  an  explosion  if  they  attempted  to  board.  The 
engagement  commenced  at  eight,  and  lasted  an  hour,  after  which 
she  struck  and  surrendered.  She  bore  the  imposing  name  of 
Nuestra  Senora  de  la  Encarna9ion  Disenganio,  and  mounted 
twenty  guns.  Nine  of  her  men  were  killed  and  nine  wounded. 
Of  the  men  of  the  Duke — the  only  ship  of  Rogers'  fleet  en 
gaged — but  two  were  wounded,  Captain  Rogers  himself,  who 
lost  a  portion  of  his  upper  jaw  and  two  of  his  teeth,  being  one. 
The  name  of  the  prize  was  changed  from  Our  Lady,  &c.  to  The 
Bachelor,  and  she  was  equipped  as  a  member  of  the  squadron, 
which  now  sailed  immediately  for  the  Ladrone  Islands. 

They  arrived  at  Guam  on  the  10th  of  March,  1710,  where 
their  wants  were  amply  supplied,  cocoanuts  being  furnished  in 
abundance  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  a  hundred.  Captain  Rogers 
bought  one  of  the  sailing  proas  of  the  islanders,  which  he  had 
seen  sail  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour.  He  carried  it  to 
England,  intending  to  put  it  in  the  canal  at  St.  James'  Park  as 
a  curiosity.  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  they  joined  a  number 
of  homeward-bound  ships,  and  sailed  in  company,  early  in  April, 
forming  a  fleet  of  sixteen  Dutch  and  nine  English  ships.  Rogers 
and  his  consorts  anchored  at  Erith,  in  the  Thames,  on  the  14th 
of  October. 

This  voyage  is  the  last  in  which  Dampier  is  known  to  have 
been  engaged,  and  what  became  of  him  afterwards  has  never 
been  ascertained.  It  would  not  be  easy  to  name,  before  the 


362  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

time  of  Cook,  a  navigator  to  whom  the  merchant  and  mariner 
are  so  much  indebted.  His  style  was  unassuming,  as  free  from 
affectation  as  was  the  narrative  itself  from  invention.  Dean 
Swift  made  Captain  Lemuel  Gulliver  hail  Dampier  as  cousin. 

The  outfit  of  this  voyage  amounted  to  .£15,000,  and  the  gross 
profits  to  £170,000.  One  third  of  this,  or  £57,000,  was  divided 
among  the  officers  and  seamen.  In  view  of  this  enormous  return 
for  a  two  years'  voyage,  we  can  hardly  wonder  at  the  fact  that 
in  this  age,  and  during  a  long  succeeding  period,  nearly  all  navi 
gation  was  privateering,  and  that  all  ventures  upon  the  seas 
appear  to  the  reader  of  the  present  day  as  little  better  than  the 
marauding  excursions  of  corsairs  and  buccaneers. 

This  is  the  proper  place  for  speaking  of  the  famous  Company 
formed  for  carrying  on  trade  with  the  Spanish  possessions  in 
the  Pacific,  which  received,  upon  its  calamitous  failure,  the  name 
of  South  Sea  Bubble.  This  Company  was  formed,  chartered, 
and  prospered  and  fell,  soon  after  the  return  of  Rogers  and 
Dampier.  It  originated  in  1711,  with  Harley,  the  Lord  Trea 
surer,  his  object  being  to  improve  public  credit,  and  to  provide 
for  the  payment  of  the  floating  debt,  amounting  to  £10,000,000. 
He  allured  the  nation's  creditors  by  promising  them  the  mono 
poly  of  trade  with  the  Spanish  coast  in  America.  They  greedily 
swallowed  the  glittering  bait,  and  dreamed  of  El  Dorado  and 
Peruvian  Golcondas.  This  spirit  spread  throughout  the  nation, 
and,  in  1719,  rose  to  a  fever  heat  of  speculation.  Sir  John 
Blunt,  once  a  scrivener,  now  a  prominent  South  Sea  Director, 
conceived  the  idea  of  consolidating  all  the  public  funds  into  one, 
and  made  the  proposal  to  the  Government.  The  Bank  of  Eng 
land  and  the  South  Sea  Company  displayed  the  utmost  eagerness 
to  outbid  each  other  in  the  offers  made  for  this  magnificent  pri 
vilege.  The  South  Sea  Company  finally  bid  seven  millions  and 
a  half,  and  the  bill  then  passed  the  two  houses  of  Parliament 
triumphantly.  The  Directors  immediately  opened  a  subscription 
of  a  million,  and  then  a  second,  both  of  which  were  eagerly  filled. 


MAN    UPON  THE    SEA.  363 

Every  engine  was  set  at  work  to  delude  the  public :  mysterious 
rumors  were  rife  of  secret  treasures  in  America,  of  overtures 
made  to  Stanhope  to  exchange  Gibraltar  for  a  diamond-mine  in 
Peru,  and  of  inexhaustible  piles  of  wealth  which  were  only 
waiting  to  be  snatched  up  by  the  fortunate  subscribers  to  the 
South  Sea  stock.  The  Directors  began  to  quote  dividends  of 
twenty,  thirty,  fifty  per  cent.  They  claimed  that,  being  the  only 
national  creditor,  they  could  soon  dictate  to  Parliament  and  rule 
the  country.  The  stock  rose  from  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
to  one  thousand.  The  mania  was  universal, — statesmen,  washer 
women,  Churchmen,  Dissenters,  ladies  of  high  and  low  degree, 
being  all  smitten  alike. 

Other  bubbles  were  started  by  other  companies,  some  of  them 
for  the  most  extravagant  objects,  such  as  The  Company  to  make 
Salt  Water  Fresh,  to  Build  Hospitals  for  Bastards,  to  Obtain 
Silver  from  Lead,  to  Extract  Oil  from  the  Seeds  of  Sunflowers, 
to  Import  Jackasses  from  Spain  and  thus  improve  the  Breed  of 
English  Mules,  to  Trade  in  Human  Hair,  and  for  a  multitude 
of  other  equally  absurd  purposes.  The  subscriptions  thus 
opened  amounted  at  one  period  to  no  less  than  three  hundred 
millions  sterling. 

These  projects,  which  rose  rapidly  one  after  another  and  danced 
in  prismatic  radiance  before  the  public  view,  were  regarded  with 
jealous  eyes  by  the  South  Sea  Directors,  who  wished  to  have  a 
monopoly  of  the  trade  in  public  credulity.  They  therefore  ap 
plied  for  writs  of  "scire  facias"  against  their  managers,  and, 
by  showing  them  to  be  frauds,  suppressed  them.  But  in  thus 
destroying  the  national  confidence  in  bubbles  generally  they 
seriously  undermined  that  enjoyed  by  their  own.  Distrust  was 
now  excited,  and  every  one  became  anxious  to  convert  his 
bonds  into  money ;  and  then  the  enormous  disproportion  be 
tween  the  promises  to  pay  on  paper  and  the  means  to  redeem  in 
coin  became  evident  to  all.  The  stock  fell  at  once,  as  the  basis 
which  sustained  it  was  proved  to  be  altogether  imaginary. 


364  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Thousands  of  families  were  reduced  to  beggary,  and  the  rage, 
resentment,  and  disappointment  were  bitter  and  universal.  The 
Company  sank  into  nothingness  as  rapidly  as  it  had  risen  to 
notoriety.  Parliament  passed  a  bill  by  which  public  confidence 
was  in  a  measure  restored,  while  the  estates  of  the  Directors 
and  officers  were  confiscated  and  applied  to  the  relief  of  the 
sufferers.  The  proposed  commerce  with  the  Spanish  American 
provinces  was  naturally  never  opened,  and  the  next  expedition 
of  the  English  to  that  quarter,  so  far  from  being  a  voyage  for 
trade,  was  a  very  formidable  excursion  for  plunder, — that  of 
Lord  Anson,  in  1740.  We  shall  refer  to  this  at  length  in  its 
proper  place. 


THE     EAGLE     AND     THE     PIRATE. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  DUTCH   WEST   INDIA   COMPANY — RENEWED    SEARCH   FOR   THE   TERRA  AUS- 

TRALIS   INCOGNITA JACOB  ROGGEWEIN HIS  VOYAGE  OF  DISCOVERY — BRUSH 

WITH   PIRATES ARRIVAL   AT   JUAN   FERNANDEZ EASTER  ISLAND — ITS  INHA 
BITANTS ENTERTAINMENT  OF  ONE  ON  BOARD  THE  SHIP A  MISUNDERSTANDr 

ING — PERNICIOUS  AND  RECREATION  ISLANDS GLIMPSE  OF  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS 

A   FAMINE    IN    THE    FLEET — ARRIVAL    AT   NEW  BRITAIN — CONFISCATION  OF 

THE  SHIP  AT  BATAVIA DECISION  OF  THE  STATES-GENERAL VITUS  BEHRING 

BEHRING'S     STRAIT — DESCRIPTION     OF    THE    SCENE — DEATH    OF    BEHRING — 
SUBSEQUENT  SURVEY  OF  THE  STRAIT. 

THE  monopoly  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  had  been 
somewhat  disturbed,  as  early  as  the  year  1621,  by  the  formation 
and  charter  of  the  Dutch  West  India  Company.  The  latter 
held  the  exclusive  commerce  of  the  African  coast  from  the 
tropic  of  Cancer  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  that  of  the 
American  coast  both  upon  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  In 
1674,  its  power  and  influence  were  somewLat  extended  by  a 
fresh  grant  of  privileges  and  an  increase  of  capital.  It  was  ne 
cessary  for  any  one  proposing  a  new  scheme  of  commerce  within 
the  limits  under  their  control,  to  apply  to  the  Company  for 
permission  to  execute  it.  A  mathematician  by  the  name  of 
Roggewein,  a  native  of  the  province  of  Zealand,  formed  a 

project,  in  1696,  for  the  discovery  of  the  vast  continent  and 

365 


366  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

islands  supposed  to  exist  in  the  South  under  the  name  of  Terra 
Australia  Incognita.  He  died,  however,  before  any  step  was 
taken  by  the  Company  in  furtherance  of  his  designs.  His  son, 
Jacob  Roggewein,  renewed  the  application  in  1721,  presenting 
a  memorial,  in  accordance  with  which  immediate  orders  were 
given  for  equipping  three  vessels, — the  Eagle,  of  thirty-six 
guns,  the  Tienhoven,  of  twenty-eight,  and  the  African  galley,  of 
fourteen.  Roggewein  was  made  admiral,  and  two  hundred  and 
seventy-one  men  were  embarked  upon"  the  three  ships.  They 
sailed  from  the  Texel  on  the  21st  of  August,  1721. 

When  approaching  the  Canaries,  they  saw  a  fleet  of  five  sail, 
carrying  white,  red,  and  black  colors,  which  caused  the  admiral 
to  suspect  them  to  be  pirates.  He  gave  the  signal  for  action, 
when  the  enemy  struck  their  red  flag  and  hoisted  a  black  one, 
on  which  was  a  death's-head  with  a  powder-horn  and  cross- 
bones.  A  brisk  encounter  succeeded ;  and,  after  two  hours,  the 
pirates  spread  their  canvas  and  bore  away  with  all  speed. 
Roggewein  did  not  follow  them, — as  all  ships  of  the  West  and 
East  India  Companies  had  strict  orders  to  pursue  their  course 
and  never  to  give  chase.  He  had  a  long  and  painful  passage 
across  the  Atlantic, — the  crews  suffering  from  heat,  hunger, 
thirst,  and  the  scurvy.  Many  of  the  men  had  high  fevers,  and 
some  of  them  fits  like  the  epilepsy. 

During  a  terrible  hurricane  on  the  21st  of  December,  the 
Tienhoven  parted  company,  and  the  Eagle  and  the  African  gal 
ley  kept  on  together  as  far  as  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  In  this 
latitude,  Roggewein  saw  the  group  of  islands  which  a  French 
privateer  had  named  Islands  of  St.  Louis,  but  which  some  Dutch 
traders  had  subsequently  called  the  New  Islands.  Roggewein 
baptized  the  group  anew,  and,  thinking  that  if  it  should  ever  be 
inhabited  the  people  would  be  the  antipodes  of  the  Dutch,  gave 
it  the  name  of  Belgia  Australis.  He  determined  to  make  the 
passage  through  Lemaire's  Strait,  and,  being  propelled  by  a 
favorable  wind  and  rapid  currents,  attained  the  western  coast  of 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  367 

America  in  six  days'  time.  Whenever  the  weather  was  clear 
the  nights  were  exceedingly  short ;  for,  though  it  was  the  middle 
of  January,  the  Antarctic  summer  was  at  its  height.  On  arriving 
at  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  Roggewein  was  surprised  and 
rejoiced  to  see  the  Tienhoven  safe  at  the  rendezvous.  The  three 
captains  dined  together  the  next  day,  and  made  merry  over  their 
mutual  convictions  of  each  others'  unhappy  shipwreck. 

After  a  considerable  run  to  the  westward,  Roggewein  dis 
covered,  on  the  14th  of  April,  1722,  an  island  sixteen  leagues 
in  extent,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Easter  Island,  in  com 
memoration  of  the  day.  This  was  one  of  the  most  important 
discoveries  ever  made  in  the  Pacific ;  and  Easter  Island  is,  for 
many  reasons,  one  of  the  most  famous  oases  in  that  desert  of 
water.  Roggewein  thus  speaks  of  his  first  adventure  there: — 
"  Pne  of  the  inhabitants  came  out  to  us,  two  miles  from  shore, 
in  a  canoe.  We  gave  him  a  piece  of  cloth,  for  he  was  quite 
naked.  He  was  also  offered  beads  and  other  toys:  he  hung 
them  all,  with  a  dried  fish,  about  his  neck.  His  body  was  all 
painted  with  every  kind  of  figures.  He  was  brown:  his  ears 
were  extremely  long  and  hung  down  to  his  shoulders,  occa 
sioned,  doubtless,  by  wearing  large,  heavy  ear-rings.  He  was 
tall,  strong,  robust,  and  of  an  agreeable  countenance.  He  was 
gay,  brisk,  and  easy  in  his  behavior  and  manner  of  speaking. 
A  glass  of  wine  was  given  to  him:  he  took  it,  but,  instead  of 
drinking  it,  threw  it  in  his  eyes,  which  surprised  us  very 
much.  We  then  dressed  him  and  put  a  hat  upon  his  head ;  but 
he  wore  it  very  awkwardly.  After  he  was  regaled  with  food, 
the  musicians  were  ordered  to  play  on  different  instruments: 
the  symphony  made  him  very  merry,  and  he  began  to  leap  and 
dance.  We  sent  him  back  with  presents,  that  the  others  might 
know  in  what  manner  we  had  received  him.  He  seemed  to  leave 
us  with  regret,  praying  with  great  violence  and  uttering  the 
word  'Odorraga!  odorraga !'  The  next  day  large  numbers  of 
his  countrymen  came  to  our  new  anchorage,  bringing  us  fowls 


368  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

and  roots.  At  sunrise  they  prostrated  themselves  with  their 
faces  towards  the  east,  and  lighted  fires  as  morning  burnt-offer 
ings  to  their  idols,  of  which  there  were  many  upon  the  coast." 
Of  these  supposed  idols  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

During  the  landing,  in  which  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
crew  took  part,  an  islander  was  accidentally  shot ;  and  sub 
sequently,  as  some  of  them  touched,  from  curiosity,  the  Dutch 
fire-arms,  a  volley  of  bullets  was  discharged  at  them,  and  among 
the  killed  was  the  man  who  had  first  gone  on  board  the  admi 
ral's  ship.  The  consternation  and  grief  of  the  natives  was  very 
great:  they  brought  all  kinds  of  provisions  as  ransom  for  the 
dead  bodies.  They  threw  themselves  upon  their  knees,  and 
offered  branches  of  palms  in  sign  of  peace.  The  Dutch  carried 
their  outrages  no  further,  but  exchanged  assurances  of  good 
will.  They  gave  sixty  yards  of  painted  cloth  for  eight  hundred 
fowls,  some  bundles  of  sugarcane,  and  a  large  quantity  of  plan 
tains,  cocoanuts,  figs,  and  potatoes.  Roggewein  was  of  opinion 
that  the  island  might  be  colonized  to  advantage,  as  the  air  was 
wholesome  and  the  soil  rich :  the  low  lands  seemed  fitted  to  pro 
duce  corn,  and  the  higher  grounds  well  adapted  to  vineyards. 
He  intended  to  land  with  a  sufficient  force  to  make  a  general 
survey ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  a  west  wind  forced  him  from  his 
anchorage  and  drove  him  out  to  sea. 

He  soon  found  himself  in  the  wide  tract  which  had  obtained 
the  name  of  Bad  Sea,  on  account  of  the  brackish  water  of  one 
of  its  islands.  Through  this  region  he  sailed  eight  hundred 
leagues,  and,  by  a  change  of  wind,  was  driven  with  his  consorts 
among  a  number  of  islands,  by  which  they  were  considerably 
embarrassed.  The  Africa,  which  drew  the  least  water,  was  sent 
in  advance,  but  soon  got  upon  the  rocks  and  fired  signals  of  dis 
tress.  Night  came  on,  and  the  natives,  alarmed  by  the  reports, 
kindled  fires  and  came  in  crowds  to  the  shore.  The  Dutch, 
whose  confusion  of  mind  seems  to  have  been  extreme,  fired  upon 
them  without  ceremony,  that  they  might  have  as  few  dangers  as 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  369 

possible  to  contend  with  at  once.  In  the  morning  the  Africa 
was  found  to  be  jammed  between  two  rocks,  from  whence  she 
could  not  be  disengaged.  She  was  therefore  abandoned.  The 
island  upon  which  she  was  lost  was  named  Pernicious  Island. 
Five  men  deserted  here,  and  were  left  behind.  Eight  leagues 
from  Pernicious,  an  island,  discovered  at  daybreak,  was  named 
Aurora;  and  another,  seen  at  sunset,  was  called  Vesper.  At 
another,  which  they  named  the  Island  of  Recreation,  a  party 
sent  on  shore  for  salad  and  scurvy-grass  for  the  sick  had  so 
desperate  an  encounter  with  the  natives,  that,  when  a  second 
landing  was  proposed,  not  a  man  could  be  prevailed  upon  to 
make  the  dangerous  attempt. 

Roggewein  was  now  convinced  that  no  Terra  Incognita  was 
to  be  discovered  in  the  latitude  he  had  kept,  and  therefore  re 
solved,  in  accordance  with  his  instructions,  to  return  home  by 
way  of  the  East  Indies.  His  crews  were  so  reduced  that  a 
further  loss  of  twenty  men  would  compel  him  to  abandon  one 
of  his  remaining  vessels.  The  officers  regretted  this  decision ; 
for  they  were  anxious  to  visit  the  lands  named  Solomon's  Islands 
by  Mendana  on  account  of  their  supposed  wealth;  but  they 
were  now  compelled  to  return  by  way  of  New  Britain,  the  Mo 
luccas,  and  the  East  Indies. 

Not  far  from  Recreation  Island,  a  group  was  discovered  by 
the  captain  of  the  Tienhoven,  and  was  named,  from  him,  Bow 
man's  Islands.  The  natives  came  off  to  the  ships  with  fish, 
cocoanuts,  and  plantains.  They  were  generally  white,  except 
that  some  were  bronzed  by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  They  appeared 
gentle  and  humane:  their  bodies  were  not  painted,  and  were 
clothed  from  the  waist  downward  with  fringes  of  woven  silk. 
Around  their  necks  they  wore  strings  of  odoriferous  flowers. 
Roggewein  describes  them  as  altogether  the  most  civilized  and 
honest  nation  he  had  seen  in  the  South  Sea : — "  Charmed  with 
our  arrival,  they  received  us  as  divinities,  and  testified  afterwards 

great  regret  when  they  perceived  we  were  preparing  to  depart : 

24 


370  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

sadness  was  painted  in  their  countenance  as  we  left."  These 
islands  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  most  northerly  of  the 
group  now  known  as  the  Society  Islands. 

During  the  long  run  to  New  Britain,  the  frightful  effects  of 
bad  provisions  were  made  painfully  manifest,  for  the  salt  meat 
had  long  been  decayed,  the  bread  was  full  of  maggots,  and  the 
water  intolerably  putrid.  The  scurvy  began  to  cut  off  four 
and  five  men  a  day.  Cries  and  groans  were  incessantly  heard 
in  all  parts  of  the  ship:  those  who  were  well  fainted  at  the 
stench  of  the  carcasses.  Some  were  reduced  to  skeletons,  so 
that  the  skin  cleaved  to  their  bones,  while  others  swelled  to  a 
monstrous  and  disgusting  size.  The  journal  says  that  "an  ana 
baptist  of  twenty-five  years  old  called  out  continually  to  be 
baptized,  and  when  told,  with  a  sneer,  that  there  was  no  parson 
on  board,  became  quiet,  and  died  with  great  resignation."  At  last 
the  high  land  of  New  Britain  put  an  end  to  their  miseries, — 
for  which  there  was  no  cure  on  earth  except  fresh  meat,  green 
vegetables,  and  pure  water. 

The  expedition  intrusted  to  Roggewein  having  proved  abortive 
by  the  failure  to  find  a  Southern  continent,  we  shall  follow  his 
adventures  no  farther.  It  will  suffice  to  say  that  his  ships  were 
confiscated  at  Batavia  by  the  Dutch  East  India  Company, — a 
proceeding  which  the  West  India  Company  resented  by  com 
mencing  an  action  for  damages.  After  a  long  litigation,  the 
States-General  decreed  that  the  former  Company  should  furnish 
the  latter  with  two  ships  better  than  those  confiscated,  should 
refund  the  full  value  of  their  cargoes,  should  pay  the  wages  of 
both  crews  to  the  day  of  their  return  to  Holland,  together  with 
the  costs,  and  a  heavy  fine  by  way  of  punishment  for  having  so 
manifestly  abused  their  authority. 

We  come  now  to  the  first  expedition  at  sea  made  by  Russia 
for  the  purpose  of  extending  and  promoting  the  science  of  geo 
graphy.  Vitus  Behring  was  a  Dane  in  the  Russian  service, 
having  been  tempted  by  the  encouragements  held  out  to  foreign 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  371 

mariners  by  Peter  the  Great.  He  had  risen  to  the  rank  of 
captain  in  1725,  when  the  Empress  Catherine,  who  was  anxious 
to  promote  discovery  in  the  Northeast  of  Asia  and  to  settle  the 
question,  then  doubtful,  as  to  the  existence  of  a  strait  between 
Asia  and  America,  appointed  him  to  the  command  of  an  expe 
dition  fitted  out  for  that  purpose.  During  a  period  of  seven 
years,  having  travelled  overland  to  Kamschatka,  he  explored 
rivers,  sounded  and  surveyed  the  coasts,  and  sailed  as  far  to  the 
northward  as  the  season  and  the  strength  of  his  very  inferior 
boats  would  permit.  In  1732,  he  was  made  captain-commander, 
and  the  next  year  was  ordered  to  conduct  an  expedition  fitted 
out  on  a  very  extensive  scale  for  purposes  of  discovery.  In 
1740,  he  reached  Okhotsk,  where  vessels  had  previously  been 
built  for  him.  He  sailed  for  Awatska  Bay,  where  he  founded 
the  settlement  of  Petropaulowski,  known  in  English  as  the  Har 
bor  of  Peter  and  Paul.  Sailing  to  the  northward,  he  landed  upon 
the  American  coast,  giving  name  to  Mount  St.  Elias,  and  then, 
returning  to  the  westward,  struck  the  continent  of  Asia,  finding 
a  strait  fifty  miles  wide  between  the  two  continents  at  the  point 
where  they  approach  each  other  the  nearest.  This,  in  honor  of 
its  discoverer,  is  called  Behring's  Strait. 

The  following  description  of  this  scene  of  desolation,  as  it  first 
broke  upon  Behring's  eye,  is  due  to  the  imagination  of  Eugene 
Sue: — "The  month  of  September,"  he  says,  "is  at  its  close.  The 
equinox  has  come  with  darkness,  and  sullen  night  will  soon 
displace  the  short  and  gloomy  days  of  the  Pole.  The  sky,  of  a 
dark  violet  color,  is  feebly  lighted  by  a  sun  which  dispenses  no 
heat,  and  whose  white  disk,  scarcely  elevated  above  the  horizon, 
pales  before  the  dazzling  brightness  of  the  snow.  To  the  north, 
this  desert  is  bounded  by  a  coast  bristling  with  black  and  gigantic 
rocks.  At  the  foot  of  their  Titanic  piles  lies  motionless  the  vast 
ice-bound  ocean.  To  the  east  appears  a  line  of  darkish  green, 
whence  seem  to  creep  forth  numerous  white  and  glassy  icebergs. 
This  is  the  channel  which  now  bears  the  name  of  Behring.  Be- 


372  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

yond  it,  and  towering  above  it,  are  the  vast  granitic  masses  of 
Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  the  extreme  point  of  North  America. 
These  desolate  latitudes  are  beyond  the  pale  of  the  habitable 
world.  The  piercing  cold  rends  the  very  stones,  cleaves  the  trees, 
and  bursts  the  ground,  which  groans  in  producing  the  germs  of 
its  icy  herbage.  A  few  black  pines,  the  growth  of  centuries, 
pointing  their  distorted  tops  in  different  directions  of  the  solitude, 
like  crosses  in  a  churchyard,  have  been  torn  up  and  hurled 
around  in  confusion  by  the  storm.  The  raging  hurricane,  not 
content  with  uprooting  trees,  drives  mountains  of  ice  before  it,  and 
dashes  them,  with  the  crash  of  thunder,  the  one  against  the  other. 
"  And  now  a  night  without  twilight  has  succeeded  to  the  day, 
— dark,  dark  night !  The  heavy  cupola  of  the  sky  is  of  so  deep 
a  blue  that  it  appears  black,  and  the  Polar  stars  are  lost  in  the 
depths  of  an  obscurity  which  seems  palpable  to  the  touch. 
Silence  reigns  alone.  But  suddenly  a  feeble  glimmer  appears 
in  the  horizon.  At  first  it  is  softly  brilliant,  blue  as  the  light 
which  precedes  the  rising  of  the  moon ;  then  the  effulgence  in 
creases,  expands,  and  assumes  a  roseate  hue.  Strange  and  con 
fused  sounds  are  heard, — sounds  like  the  flight  of  huge  night 
birds  as  they  flap  their  wings  heavily  over  the  plain.  These  are 
the  forerunners  of  one  of  those  imposing  phenomena  which 
strike  with  awe  all  animated  nature.  An  aurora  borealis,  that 
magnificent  spectacle  of  the  Polar  regions,  is  at  hand.  In 
the  horizon  there  appears  a  semicircle  of  dazzling  brightness. 
From  the  centre  of  this  glowing  hemisphere  radiate  blazing 
columns  and  jets  of  light,  rising  to  measureless  heights  and 
illumining  heaven,  earth,  and  sea.  They  glide  along  the  snows 
of  the  desert,  empurpling  the  blue  tops  of  the  ice-mountains 
and  tinging  with  a  deepened  red  the  tall  black  rocks  of  the  two 
continents.  Having  thus  reached  the  fulness  of  its  splendor, 
the  aurora  grows  gradually  pale,  and  diffuses  its  effulgence  in  a 
luminous  mist.  At  this  moment,  from  the  fantastic  illusions  of 
the  mirage,  frequent  in  those  latitudes,  the  American  coast, 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  373 

though  separated  from  that  of  Asia  by  the  interposition  of  an 
arm  of  the  sea,  suddenly  approaches  so  near  it  that  a  bridge 
might  be  thrown  from  one  world  to  the  other.  Did  human 
beings  inhabit  those  regions  and  breathe  the  pale-blue  vapors 
which  pervade  them,  they  might  almost  converse  across  the 
narrow  inlet  which  serves  to  divide  the  continents.  But  now 
the  aurora  fades  away,  and  the  deceptive  mirage  sinks  back 
into  the  shadowy  realms  from  whence  it  came.  Fifty  miles  of 
sullen  waters  roll  again  between  the  continents,  and  a  three 
months'  night  settles  over  the  ghastly  and  appalling  scene." 

It  is  not  improbable  that  Behring  passed  to  the  north  of  East 
Cape,  the  promontory  on  the  Asiatic  side,  into  the  Arctic 
Ocean  beyond.  He  was  soon  compelled  to  return,  owing  to  the 
disabled  condition  of  his  vessel,  which  was  wrecked  upon  an 
island  on  the  3d  of  November,  1741.  This  island,  which  was 
little  better  than  a  naked  rock,  afforded  neither  food  nor  shelter ; 
and  Behring,  suffering  from  the  scurvy  and  sinking  from  disap 
pointment,  lay  down  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock  to  die.  The  sand 
collected  and  drifted  about  him,  half  burying  him  alive.  He  would 
not  suffer  it  to  be  removed,  as  it  afforded  him  a  grateful  warmth. 
He  died  in  this  wretched  condition  on  the  8th  of  December.  The 
next  summer,  the  few  of  his  crew  who  survived  the  winter  built 
a  vessel  from  the  timber  of  the  wreck :  in  this  they  reached  Kam- 
schatka  and  made  known  the  miserable  fate  of  their  commander. 

Though  Behring  settled  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  the  strait 
which  bears  his  name,  it  was  reserved  for  Captain  Cook  to 
survey  the  entire  length  of  both  coasts.  This  he  did  with  a 
precision  and  accuracy  which  left  nothing  for  after-voyagers  to 
perform,  and  which  has  made  the  geography  of  this  remote  and 
barbarous  region  as  familiar  as  that  of  the  Atlantic  shores  of 
America.  The  island  upon  which  Behring  died,  and  which  was 
then  uninhabited  and  without  a  shrub  upon  its  surface,  is  now 
an  important  trading  station,  and  affords  comfortable  winter 
quarters  to  vessels  from  Okhotsk  and  Kamschatka. 


LORD     ANSON. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

PIRATICAL   VOYAGE   UNDER   GEORGE   ANSON — UNPARALLELED    MORTALITY — AR 
RIVAL  AND  SOJOURN  AT   JUAN   FERNANDEZ — A  PRIZE CAPTURE   OF   PA1TA — 

PREPARATIONS  TO  ATTACK   THE    MANILLA  GALLEON DISAPPOINTMENT FOR 
TUNATE  ARRIVAL  AT  TINIAN ROMANTIC  ACCOUNT   OF  THE  ISLAND A  STORM 

— ANSON'S  SHIP  DRIVEN   OUT   TO    SEA — THE   ABANDONED    CREW    SET   ABOUT 

BUILDING  A  BOAT RETURN  OF  THE  CENTURION BATTLE  WITH  THE  MANILLA 

GALLEON ANSON'S   ARRIVAL    IN  ENGLAND THE  PROCEEDS  OF  THE  CRUISE. 

THE  statesmen  of  England  had  now  become  penetrated  with 
the  idea  that,  in  order  to  consolidate  their  territorial  supremacy, 
they  must  make  their  country  the  undisputed  mistress  of  the 
seas.  War  was  declared  against  Spain  in  1739,  and  the  king 
determined  to  attack  that  power  in  her  distant  settlements  and 
deprive  her,  if  possible,  of  her  possessions  in  America,  and 

especially  in  Peru.     It  was  supposed  that  the  principal  resources 
374 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  375 

of  the  enemy  would  be  by  this  means  cut  off,  and  that  the 
Spanish  would  be  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  suing  for  peace, 
deprived  as  they  would  be  of  the  returns  of  that  treasure  by 
which  alone  they  could  be  enabled  to  support  the  drains  of  a 
foreign  war.  A  fleet  of  six  vessels,  manned  by  fourteen  hundred 
men  and  accompanied  by  two  victualling-ships,  was  placed  under 
the  command  of  George  Anson,  a  captain  in  the  naval  service. 
The  flag-ship  was  the  Centurion,  mounting  sixty  guns  and 
carrying  four  hundred  men.  On  their  way  out  from  Spithead, 
on  the  18th  of  September,  1740,  the  fleet  was  joined  by  an 
immense  convoy  of  trading  ships,  which  were  to  keep  them 
company  a  portion  of  the  way, — numbering  in  all  eleven  men-of- 
war  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  sail  of  merchantmen. 

The  squadron  passed  through  Lemaire's  Strait  on  the  7th 
of  March,  1741.  "We  could  not  help  persuading  ourselves," 
writes  Anson,  "that  the  greatest  difficulty  of  our  voyage  was 
now  at  an  end,  and  that  our  most  sanguine  dreams  were  upon 
the  point  of  being  realized;  and  hence  we  indulged  our  imagi 
nations  in  those  romantic  schemes  which  the  fancied  possession 
of  the  Chilian  gold  and  Peruvian  silver  might  be  conceived 
to  inspire.  Thus  animated  by  these  flattering  delusions,  we 
passed  those  memorable  straits,  ignorant  of  the  dreadful  calami 
ties  Avhich  were  then  impending  and  just  ready  to  break  upon 
us, — ignorant  that  the  time  drew  near  when  the  squadron  would 
be  separated  never  to  unite  again,  and  that  this  day  of  our 
passage  was  the  last  cheerful  day  that  the  greater  part  of  us 
would  ever  live  to  enjoy." 

The  sternmost  ships  were  no  sooner  clear  of  the  Strait,  than 
the  tranquillity  of  the  sky  was  suddenly  disturbed,  and  all  the 
presages  of  a  threatening  storm  appeared  in  the  heavens  and 
upon  the  waters.  The  winds  were  let  loose  upon  the  unfortu 
nate  fleet,  and  for  three  long  months  blew  upon  them  with 
unrelenting  fury.  The,  Severn  and  Pearl  parted  company  and 
were  never  seen  again.  During  the  month  of  April,  forty-three 


376  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

of  the  crew  of  the  Centurion  died  of  the  scurvy ;  and  during  the 
passage  from  the  Strait  to  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez  the 
flag-ship  lost,  by  this  disease,  by  accident,  and  by  tempest,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  men ;  and  she  could  not  at  last  muster  more 
than  six  foremast-men  capable  of  doing  duty.  On  the  22d  of 
May,  all  the  various  disasters,  fatigues,  and  terrors  which  had 
previously  attacked  the  Centurion  in  succession  now  combined 
in  a  simultaneous  onset,  and  seem  to  have  conspired  for  her 
destruction.  A  terrific  hurricane  from  the  starboard  quarter 
split  all  her  sails  and  broke  all  her  standing  rigging,  endangered 
the  masts,  and  shifted  the  ballast  and  stores.  The  air  was  filled 
with  fire,  and  the  officers  and  men  upon  the  decks  were  wounded 
by  exploding  flashes  which  coursed  and  darted  from  spar  to  spar. 

Thus  crippled  and  disabled,  with  five  men  dying  every  day, 
and  not  ten  of  the  crew  able  to  go  aloft,  the  Centurion,  sepa 
rated  from  her  consorts,  and  supposing  them  to  have  perished 
in  the  storm,  made  the  best  of  her  weary  way  to  the  island  of 
Juan  Fernandez,  where  she  arrived  at  daybreak  on  the  9th  of 
June,  after  losing  eighty  more  men  from  the  scurvy. 

"The  aspect  of  this  diversified  country  would  at  all  times," 
says  Anson,  "have  been  delightful;  but  in  our  distressed  situa 
tion,  languishing  as  we  were  for  the  land  and  its  vegetable 
productions, — an  inclination  attending  every  stage  of  the  sea- 
scurvy, — it  is  scarcely  credible  with  what  transport  and  eager 
ness  we  viewed  the  shore,  and  with  how  much  impatience  we 
longed  for  the  greens  and  other  refreshments  which  were  then 
in  sight,  and  particularly  the  water.  Even  those  among  the 
diseased  who  were  not  in  the  very  last  stages  of  the  distemper 
exerted  the  small  remains  of  strength  which  were  left  them, 
and  crawled  up  to  the  deck  to  feast  themselves  with  this  reviving 
prospect.  Thus  we  coasted  the  shore,  fully  employed  in  the 
contemplation  of  this  enchanting  landskip." 

In  his  description  of  the  island,  Anson  speaks  of  the  former 
residence  of  Alexander  Selkirk  upon  it,  and  says,  "Selkirk 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  377 

tells  us,  among  other  things,  that,  as  he  often  caught  more  goats 
than  he  wanted,  he  sometimes  marked  their  ears  and  let  them  go. 
This  was  about  thirty-two  years  before  our  arrival  at  the  island. 
Now,  it  happened  that  the  first  goat  that  was  killed  by  our 
people  had  his  ears  slit;  whence  we  concluded  that  he  had 
doubtless  been  formerly  under  the  power  of  Selkirk.  He  was 
an  animal  of  a  most  venerable  aspect,  dignified  with  an  exceed 
ing  majestic  beard  and  with  many  other  symptoms  of  antiquity." 

The  Centurion  was  soon  joined  by  the  Tryal  sloop  of  war, 
by  the  Gloucester,  and  the  victualler  Anna  Pink:  the  other 
members  of  the  squadron  were  never  heard  of  again.  Upon 
the  island,  which  was  entirely  deserted,  Anson  thought  he  dis 
covered  appearances  which  indicated  the  recent  presence  there  of 
a  Spanish  force ;  and,  as  they  might  return,  every  effort  was  made 
to  get  the  ships  and  the  men  in  position  to  cope  with  them  on 
equal  terms.  While  refitting,  a  sail  was  discovered  upon  the 
distant  horizon,  and  the  Centurion  started  out  in  pursuit  of  her. 
Anson  took  her  for  a  Spanish  man-of-war,  and  ordered  the 
officers'  cabin  to  be  knocked  down  and  thrown  overboard,  and 
the  decks  to  be  cleared  for  action.  She  proved,  however,  to  be 
an  unarmed  merchantman  sailing  under  Spanish  colors.  She 
surrendered  without  delay,  and  proved  to  be  the  Monte  Carmelo, 
bound  from  Callao  to  Valparaiso,  with  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  blue 
cloth,  and,  what  was  infinitely  more  acceptable  to  Anson  and  his 
crew,  eighty  thousand  dollars  in  Spanish  coin.  The  Centurion 
then  returned  with  her  prize  to  Juan  Fernandez.  The  spirits 
of  the  English  were  greatly  raised  by  this  capture,  and  their 
despondency  dissipated  by  so  tangible  an  earnest  of  success. 
The  repairs  upon  all  the  vessels  were  hastily  completed,  and, 
while  they  were  sent  to  cruise  in  different  directions  in  search 
of  Spanish  merchantmen,  the  Centurion  and  the  Carmelo  sailed, 
on  the  19th  of  September,  for  the  general  rendezvous  at  Val 
paraiso. 

In  November,  Anson  determined  to  attack,  with  the  force  of 


378  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

his  two  vessels,  the  unfortunate  seaport  of  Paita,  in  Peru, — 
•which,  as  may  be  seen  from  our  narrative,  was  invariably  at 
tacked  by  every  successive  depredator.  The  town  was  taken  with 


BOMBARDMENT     OF     PAITA. 


the  utmost  ease, — the  governor,  who  was  in  bed  at  the  time  of 
the  surprise,  running  away  half  naked  in  the  utmost  precipitation, 
and  leaving  his  wife,  hardly  seventeen  years  old,  and  to  whom  he 
had  been  married  but  three  days,  to  take  care  of  herself.  The 
custom-house,  where  the  treasure  lay,  was  seized  upon  and  its 
contents  transported  to  the  ship.  Anson,  not  satisfied  with  this, 
sent  word  to  the  governor,  who  had  come  to  a  halt  on  a  distant 
hill,  that  he  would  listen  to  proposals  for  ransom.  The  governor, 
who  was  somewhat  arrogant  for  a  magistrate  who  had  made  so 
signal  a  display  of  poltroonery,  did  not  deign  to  return  an  answer 
to  these  overtures :  he  collected  together  his  people,  however, 
and  prepared  to  storm  the  city,  but,  upon  second  thoughts, 
prudently  abstained.  Pitch,  tar,  and  other  combustibles  were 
now  distributed  by  Anson's  men  among  the  houses  of  Paita ; 
the  cannon  in  the  fort  were  spiked,  and  fire  was  then  set  to  the 
town,  which  was  speedily  reduced  to  ashes.  The  loss  of  the 
Spaniards  by  the  fire,  in  broadcloths,  silks,  velvets,  cambrics, 
was  represented  by  them  to  the  court  of  Madrid  as  amounting 
to  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars.  Anson's  ships  carried  away 
with  them,  in  plate,  coin,  and  jewels,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  more.  Soon  after  leaving  Paita,  they  fell 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  379 

in  with  a  launch  laden  with  jars  of  cotton.  The  people  on 
board  said  they  were  very  poor ;  but,  as  they  were  found  dining 
on  pigeon  pie  served  up  in  silver  dishes,  it  was  thought  advisable 
to  search  for  the  sources  of  this  opulence.  The  jars  of  cotton 
were  found  to  contain  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  double  doubloons. 

Anson  now  determined  to  steer  for  the  southern  parts  of  Cali 
fornia,  there  to  cruise  for  the  galleon  due  at  Acapulco  from  Ma 
nilla  towards  the  middle  of  January.  He  did  not  arrive  there 
till  the  1st  of  February,  1742 ;  but,  being  assured  by  some  of  his 
Spanish  prisoners  that  the  galleon  was  often  a  month  behind 
her  average  time,  he  stood  on  and  off,  waiting  with  feverish 
impatience  for  an  arrival  whose  value  he  estimated  in  round 
millions.  He  soon  learned,  from  some  negroes  whom  he  cap 
tured,  that  the  galleon  had  arrived  on  the  9th  of  January. 
They  added,  however,  that  she  had  delivered  her  cargo,  and 
that  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  had  fixed  her  departure  from  Aca 
pulco,  on  her  return,  for  the  14th  of  March.  This  news  was 
joyfully  received  by  Anson  and  his  men,  as  it  was  much  more 
advantageous  for  them  to  seize  the  specie  which  she  had  received 
for  her  cargo  than  to  seize  the  cargo  itself. 

It  was  now  the  19th  of  February,  and  the  galleon  was  not  to 
leave  port  till  the  14th  of  March,  or,  according  to  the  old  style 
followed  by  Anson,  the  3d  of  March.  The  interval  was  em 
ployed  in  scrubbing  the  ships'  bottoms,  in  bringing  them  into 
the  most  advantageous  trim,  and  in  regulating  the  orders, 
signals,  and  positions  to  be  observed  when  the  famous  ship 
should  appear  in  sight.  The  positions  held  were  as  follows. 
The  squadron  was  stationed  forty  miles  from  shore, — an  offing 
quite  sufficient  to  escape  observation :  it  consisted  of  the  Centu 
rion,  the  Gloucester,  and  three  armed  prizes:  these  were  ar 
ranged  in  a  circular  line,  and  each  ship  was  nine  miles  distant 
from  the  next,  the  two  vessels  at  the  extremes  being,  therefore, 
thirty-six  miles  apart.  As  the  galleon  could  be  easily  discerned 
twenty  miles  outside  of  either  extremity,  the  whole  sweep  of 


380  MAN   UPON  THE   SEA. 

the  squadron  was  seventy-five  miles,  the  various  vessels  com 
posing  it  being  so  connected  by  signals  as  to  be  readily  informed 
of  what  was  seen  in  any  part  of  the  line.  The  Centurion  and 
the  Gloucester  were  alone  intended  to  come  to  close  quarters, 
or,  indeed,  to  engage  in  the  action  at  all :  they  were  therefore 
strengthened  by  accessions  from  the  others. 

The  calls  of  hunger  and  all  other  duties  were  neglected  on 
the  3d  of  March :  all  eyes  were  strained  in  the  direction  of 
Acapulco,  and  voices  continually  exclaimed  that  they  saw  one 
of  the  cutters  returning  with  a  signal.  To  their  extreme  vexa 
tion  and  dismay,  both  that  day  and  the  next  passed  without 
bringing  news  of  the  galleon.  A  fortnight  went  by;  and  Anson 
at  last  came  to  the  melancholy  conclusion  that  his  presence 
upon  the  coast  had  been  discovered,  and  that  an  embargo  had 
been  laid  upon  the  object  of  all  their  hopes.  He  afterwards 
discovered  that  his  presence  was  suspected,  but  not  known,  but 
that  the  wary  Spaniards  had  frustrated  his  schemes  by  detain 
ing  the  galleon  till  the  succeeding  year.  With  a  heavy  heart, 
the  admiral  gave  orders  for  the  departure  of  the  fleet  from  the 
American  coast,  in  prosecution  of  the  plans  drawn  up  previous 
to  his  leaving  England.  He  sailed  early  in  May  with  the  Cen 
turion  and  Gloucester  only,  having  scuttled  and  destroyed  his 
three  prizes  on  the  enemy's  coast. 

A  terrible  attack  of  scurvy  soon  reduced  both  vessels  to  half 
their  working  force,  and  a  storm  of  unusual  violence  completely 
disabled  the  Gloucester.  She  held  out,  however,  till  the  middle 
of  August,  when  her  stores,  her  prize-money,  and  her  sick  were 
with  great  difficulty  removed  to  the  Centurion,  which  was  herself 
in  a  crazy  and  well-nigh  desperate  condition.  The  Gloucester 
was  set  on  fire,  lest  her  wreck  might  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Spaniards  :  she  continued  burning  through  the  night,  firing  her 
guns  successively  as  the  flames  reached  them:  the  magazine 
exploded  at  daylight. 

The  Centurion  kept  on  her  way,  losing  eight,  nine,  and  ten 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  381 

men  every  twenty-four  hours.  A  leak  was  discovered,  which  all 
the  skill  of  the  carpenters  failed  to  stop.  The  ship  and  men 
were  in  a  condition  bordering  on  positive  despair.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  sight  of  two  distant  islands  revived  for  a  time 
their  drooping  spirits.  But  these  islands  were  bare  and  unin 
habited  rocks,  affording  neither  anchorage  nor  fresh  water.  The 
reaction  produced  by  this  disappointment  was  evident  in  the 
renewed  ravages  of  the  relentless  scurvy.  "And  now,"  says 
Anson,  "  the  only  possible  circumstance  which  could  secure  the 
few  of  us  which  remained  alive  from  perishing,  was  the  acci 
dental  falling  in  with  some  other  of  the  Ladrone  Islands  better 
prepared  for  our  accommodation ;  but,  as  our  knowledge  of  them 
was  extremely  imperfect,  we  were  to  trust  entirely  to  chance  for 
our  guidance.  Thus,  with  the  most  gloomy  persuasion  of  an 
approaching  destruction,  we  stood  from  the  island-rock  of  Ana- 
tacan,  having  all  of  us  the  strongest  apprehensions  either  of 
dying  of  the  scurvy,  or  of  being  destroyed  with  the  ship,  which, 
for  want  of  hands  to  work  her  pumps,  might  in  a  short  time  be 
expected  to  founder." 

On  the  27th  of  August,  the  Centurion  came  in  sight  of  a 
fertile  and,  as  Anson  supposed,  inhabited  island,  which  he  after 
wards  found  to  be  one  of  the  Ladrones  and  named  Tinian.  Fearing 
the  inhabitants  to  be  Spaniards,  and  knowing  himself  to  be  in 
capable  of  defence,  Anson  showed  Spanish  colors,  and  hoisted 
a  red  flag  at  the  foretopmast  head,  intending  by  this  to  give  his 
vessel  the  appearance  of  the  Manilla  galleon,  and  hoping  to 
decoy  some  of  the  islanders  on  board.  The  trick  succeeded,  and 
a  Spaniard  and  four  Indians  were  easily  taken,  with  their  boat. 
The  Spaniard  said  the  island  was  uninhabited,  though  it  was  one 
of  an  inhabited  group :  he  affirmed  that  there  was  plenty  of  fresh 
water,  that  cattle,  hogs,  and  poultry  ran  wild  over  the  rocks, 
that  the  woods  afibrded  sweet  and  sour  oranges,  limes,  lemons, 
and  cocoanuts,  besides  a  peculiar  fruit  which  served  instead  of 
bread ;  that,  from  the  quantity  and  goodness  of  the  productions 


382  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

of  the  island,  the  Spaniards  of  the  neighboring  station  of  Guam 
used  it  as  a  storehouse  and  granary  from  whence  they  drew  in 
exhaustible  supplies. 

A  portion  of  this  relation  Anson  could  verify  upon  the  spot : 
he  discovered  herds  of  cattle  feeding  in  security  upon  the  island, 
and  it  was  not  difficult  to  fill,  in  imagination,  the  rich  forests 
which  clothed  it,  with  tropical  fruits  and  all  the  varied  produc 
tions  of  those  beneficent  climes.  On  landing,  he  at  once  con 
verted  a  storehouse  filled  with  jerked  beef  into  an  hospital  for 
the  sick  :  in  this  he  deposited  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  of 
his  invalids.  The  salutary  effect  of  land-treatment  and  vege 
table  food  was  such  that,  though  twenty-one  died  on  the  first 
day,  only  ten  others  died  during  the  two  months  that  the  Cen 
turion  remained  at  anchor  in  the  harbor. 


ANSON'S     ENCAMPMENT    AT    TINIAN. 


Anson  gives  a  romantic  account  of  the  happy  island  of  Tinian. 
The  vegetation  was  not  luxuriant  and  rank,  but  resembled  the 
clean  and  uniform  lawns  of  an  English  estate.  The  turf  was 
composed  of  clover  intermixed  with  a  variety  of  flowers.  The 
woods  consisted  of  tall  and  wide-spreading  trees,  imposing  in  their 
aspect  or  inviting  in  their  fruit.  Three  thousand  cattle,  milk- 
white  with  the  exception  of  their  ears,  which  were  black,  grazed 
in  a  single  meadow.  The  clamor  and  paraclings  of  domestic 
poultry  excited  the  idea  of  neighboring  farms  and  villages. 
Both  the  cattle  and  the  fowls  were  easily  run  down  and  captured, 
so  that  the  Centurion  husbanded  her  ammunition.  The  hogs  were 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  383 

hunted  by  dogs  trained  to  the  pursuit,  a  number  of  which  had 
been  left  by  the  Spaniards  of  Guam :  they  readily  transferred 
their  services  and  their  allegiance  to  the  English  invaders.  The 
island  also  produced  in  abundance  the  very  best  specifics  for 
scorbutic  disorders, — such  as  dandelion,  mint,  scurvy-grass,  and 
sorrel.  The  inlets  furnished  fish  of  plethoric  size  and  inviting 
taste;  the  lakes  abounded  with  duck,  teal,  and  curlew,  and  in 
the  thickets  the  sportsmen  found  whole  coveys  of  whistling 
plover. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d  of  September  a  violent  storm  drove 
the  Centurion  from  her  anchorage,  sundering  her  cables  like 
packthread.  Anson  was  on  shore,  down  with  the  scurvy ;  several 
of  the  officers,  and  a  large  part  of  the  crew,  amounting  in  all 
to  one  hundred  and  thirteen  persons,  were  on  shore  with  him. 
This  catastrophe  reduced  all,  both  at  sea  and  on  land,  to  the 
utmost  despair:  those  in  the  ship  were  totally  unprepared  to 
struggle  with  the  fury  of  the  winds,  and  expected  each  moment 
to  be  their  last ;  those  on  shore  supposed  the  Centurion  to  be 
lost,  and  conceived  that  no  means  were  left  them  ever  to  depart 
from  the  island.  As  no  European  ship  had  probably  anchored 
here  before,  it  was  madness  to  expect  that  chance  would  send 
another  in  a  hundred  ages  to  come  Besides,  the  Spaniards  of 
Guam  cauld  not  fail  to  capture  them  ere  long,  and,  as  their 
letters  of  marque  were  gone  in  the  Centurion,  they  would  un 
doubtedly  be  treated  as  pirates. 

In  this  desperate  state  of  things,  Anson,  who  preserved,  to 
all  outward  appearance,  his  usual  composure,  projected  a  scheme 
for  extricating  himself  and  his  men  from  their  forlorn  situation. 
In  case  the  Centurion  did  not  return  within  a  week,  he  said,  it 
would  be  fair  to  conclude,  not  that  she  was  wrecked,  but  that 
she  had  been  driven  too  far  to  the  leeward  of  the  island  to  be 
able  to  return  to  it,  and  had  doubtless  borne  away  for  Macao. 
Their  policy,  therefore,  was  to  attempt  to  join  her  there.  To 
effect  this,  they  must  haul  the  Spanish  bark,  which  they  had 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

captured  on  their  arrival,  ashore,  saw  her  asunder,  lengthen  her 
twelve  feet, — which  would  give  her  forty  tons'  burden  and  enable 
her  to  carry  them  all  to  China.  The  carpenters,  who  had  been 
fortunately  left  on  the  island,  had  been  consulted,  and  had  pro 
nounced  the  proposal  feasible.  The  men,  who  at  first  were 
unwilling  to  abandon  all  hope  of  the  Centurion's  return,  at  last 
saw  the  necessity  of  active  co-operation,  and  went  zealously  to 
work. 

The  blacksmith,  with  his  forge  and  tools,  was  the  first  to  com 
mence  his  task ;  but,  unhappily,  his  bellows  had  been  left  on 
board  the  ship.  "Without  his  bellows  he  could  get  no  fire ;  without 
fire  he  could  mould  no  iron ;  and  without  iron  the  carpenters 
could  not  rivet  a  single  plank.  But  the  cattle  furnished  hides 
in  plenty,  and  these  hides  were  imperfectly  tanned  with  the  help 
of  a  hogshead  of  lime  found  in  the  jerked-beef  warehouse :  with 
this  improvised  leather,  and  with  a  gun-barrel  for  a  pipe,  a  pair 
of  bellows  was  constructed  which  answered  the  intention  tolerably 
well.  Trees  were  felled  and  sawed  into  planks,  Anson  working 
with  axe  and  adze  as  vigorously  as  any  of  his  men.  'The  juice 
of  the  cocoanut  furnished  the  men  a  natural  and  abundant  grog, 
and  one  which  had  this  advantage  over  the  distilled  mixture  to 
which  that  name  is  usually  applied, — that  it  did  not  intoxicate 
them,  but  kept  them  temperate  and  orderly.  When  the  main 
work  had  been  thus  successfully  started,  it  was  found,  on  consul 
tation,  that  the  tent  on  shore,  some  cordage  accidentally  left  by 
the  Centurion,  and  the  sails  and  rigging  already  belonging  to 
the  bark,  would  serve  to  equip  her  indifferently  when  she  was 
lengthened.  Two  disheartening  circumstances  were  now  dis 
covered:  all  the  gunpowder  which  could  be  collected  by  the 
strictest  search  amounted  to  just  ninety  charges, — considerably 
less  than  one  charge  apiece  to  each  member  of  the  company : 
their  only  compass  was  a  toy,  such  as  are  made  for  the  amuse 
ment  of  school-boys.  Their  only  quadrant  was  a  crazy  instru 
ment  which  had  been  thrown  overboard  from  the  Centurion  with 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  385 

other  lumber  belonging  to  the  dead,  and  which  had  providentially 
been  washed  ashore.  It  was  examined  by  the  known  latitude 
of  the  island  of  Tinian,  and  answered  in  a  manner  which  con 
vinced  Anson  that,  though  very  bad,  it  was  at  least  better  than 
nothing. 

On  the  9th  of  October — the  seventeenth  day  from  the  depar 
ture  of  the  ship — matters  were  in  such  a  state  of  forwardness 
that  Anson  was  able  to  fix  the  5th  of  November  as  the  date  of 
their  putting  to  sea  upon  their  voyage  of  two  thousand  miles. 
But  a  happier  lot  was  in  store  for  them.  On  the  llth,  a  man 
working  upon  a  hill  suddenly  cried  out,  in  great  ecstasy,  "  The 
ship!  the  ship!"  The  commodore  threw  down  his  axe  and 
rushed  with  his  men — all  of  them  in  a  state  of  mind  bordering 
on  frenzy — to  the  beach.  By  five  in  the  afternoon  the  Cen 
turion — for  it  was  she — was  visible  in  the  offing:  a  boat  with 
eighteen  men  to  reinforce  her,  and  with  meat  and  refreshments 
for  the  crew,  was  sent  off  to  her.  She  came  happily  to  anchor 
in  the  roads  the  next  day,  and  the  commodore  went  on  board, 
where  he  was  received  with  the  heartiest  acclamations.  The 
vessel  had,  during  this  interval  of  nineteen  days,  been  the  sport 
of  storms,  currents,  leakages,  and  false  reckonings ;  she  had  but 
one-fourth  of  her  complement  of  men;  and  when,  by  a  happy 
accident  of  driftage,  she  came  in  sight  of  the  island,  the  crew 
were  so  weak  they  could  with  difficulty  put  the  ship  about. 
The  reinforcement  of  eighteen  men  was  sent  at  the  very  moment 
when,  in  sight  of  the  long  wished-for  haven,  the  exhausted 
sailors  were  on  the  point  of  abandoning  themselves  to  despair. 

Fifty  casks  of  water,  and  a  large  quantity  of  oranges,  lemons, 
and  cocoanuts  were  now  hastily  put  on  board  the  Centurion. 
On  the  21st  of  October,  the  bark  (so  lately  the  object  of  all  the 
commodore's  hopes  and  fears)  was  set  on  fire  and  destroyed. 
The  vessel  then  weighed  anchor,  and  took  leave  of  the  island  of 
Tinian, — an  island  which,  in  the  language  of  Anson,  "  whether 

we  consider  the  excellence  of  its  productions,  the  beauty  of  its 

25 


386  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

appearance,  the  elegance  of  its  woods  and  lawns,  the  healthiness 
of  its  air,  and  the  adventures  it  gave  rise  to,  may  in  all  these 
views  be  justly  styled  romantic."  After  a  smooth  run  of  twenty 
days,  the  Centurion  came  to  an  anchor  on  the  12th  of  Novem 
ber,  in  the  roads  of  Macao, — thus,  after  a  fatiguing  cruise  of  two 
years,  arriving  at  an  amicable  port  and  in  a  civilized  country, 
where  naval  stores  could  be  procured  with  ease,  and,  above  all, 
where  the  crew  expected  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  of  receiv 
ing  letters  from  their  friends  and  families. 

The  Centurion  remained  more  than  five  months  at  Macao, 
where  she  was  careened,  thoroughly  overhauled,  and  refitted. 
The  crew  was  reinforced  by  entering  twenty-three  men,  some  of 
them  being  Lascars,  or  Indian  sailors,  and  some  of  them  Dutch. 
On  the  19th  of  April,  the  admiral  got  to  sea,  having  announced 
that  he  was  bound  to  Batavia  and  from  thence  to  England, 
and,  in  order  to  confirm  this  delusion,  having  taken  letters  on 
board  at  Canton  and  Macao  directed  to  dear  friends  in  Batavia. 
But  his  real  design  was  to  cruise  off  the  Philippine  Isles  for  {he 
returning  Manilla  galleon.  Indeed,  as  he  had  the  year  before 
prevented  the  sailing  of  the  annual  ship,  he  had  good  reason  to 
believe  that  there  would  this  year  be  two.  He  therefore  made 
all  haste  to  reach  Cape  Espiritu  Santo,  the  first  land  the  gal 
leons  were  accustomed  to  make.  They  were  said  to  be  stout 
vessels,  mounting  forty-four  guns  and  carrying  five  hundred 
hands;  while  he  himself  had  but  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
hands,  thirty  of  whom  were  boys.  But  he  had  reason  to  expect 
that  his  men  would  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  view  of 
the  fabulous  wealth  to  be  obtained. 

The  Centurion  made  Cape  Espiritu  Santo  late  in  May,  and 
from  that  moment  forward  her  people  waited  in  the  utmost  im 
patience  for  the  happy  crisis  which  was  to  balance  the  account 
of  their  past  calamities.  They  were  drilled  every  day  in  the 
working  of  the  guns  and  in  the  use  of  their  small-arms.  The 
vessel  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  cape,  in  order  not  to  be  dis- 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  387 

covered.  But,  in  spite  of  all  precautions,  she  was  seen  from 
the  land,  and  information  of  her  presence  was  sent  to  Manilla, 
where  a  force  consisting  of  two  ships  of  thirty-two  guns,  one  of 
twenty  guns,  and  two  sloops  of  ten  guns,  was  at  once  equipped : 
it  never  sailed,  however,  on  account  of  the  monsoon. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  at  sunrise,  the  man  at  the  masthead  of 
the  Centurion  discovered  a  sail  in  the  southeast  quarter.  A 
general  joy  spread  through  the  ship,  and  the  commodore  in 
stantly  stood  towards  her.  At  eight  o'clock  she  was  visible 
from  the  deck,  and  proved  to  be  the  famous  Manilla  galleon. 
She  did  not  change  her  course,  much  to  Anson's  surprise,  but 
continued  to  bear  down  upon  him.  It  afterwards  appeared  that 
she  recognised  the  hostile  sail  to  be  the  Centurion,  and  resolved 
to  fight  her.  She  soon  hauled  up  her  foresail,  and  brought  to 
under  topsails,  hoisting  Spanish  colors.  Anson  picked  out 
thirty  of  his  choicest  hands  and  distributed  them  into  the  tops 
as  marksmen.  Instead  of  firing  broadsides  with  intervals  be 
tween  them,  he  resolved  to  keep  up  a  constant  but  irregular  fire, 
thus  baffling  the  Spaniards  if  they  should  attempt  their  usual 
tactics  of  falling  down  upon  the  decks  during  a  broadside  and 
working  their  guns  with  great  briskness  during  the  intermission. 
At  one  o'clock,  the  Centurion,  being  within  gunshot  of  the 
enemy,  hoisted  her  pennant.  The  Spaniard  now,  for  the  first 
time,  began  to  clear  her  decks,  and  tumbled  cattle,  sheep,  pigs, 
goats,  and  poultry  promiscuously  into  the  sea.  Anson  gave  orders 
to  fire  with  the  chase-guns  :  the  galleon  retorted  with  her  stern- 
chasers.  During  the  first  half-hour  he  lay  across  her  bow, 
traversing  her  with  nearly  all  his  guns,  while  she  could  bring 
hardly  half  a  dozen  of  hers  to  bear.  The  mats  with  which  the 
galleon  had  stuffed  her  netting  now  took  fire,  and  burned 
violently,  terrifying  the  Spaniards  and  alarming  the  English, 
who  feared  lest  the  treasure  would  escape  them.  However,  the 
Spaniards  at  last  cut  away  the  netting  and  tossed  the  blazing 
mass  into  the  sea  among  the  struggling  and  roaring  cattle.  The 


388 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


Centurion  swept  the  galleon's  decks,  the  topmen  wounding  or 
killing  every  officer  but  one  who  appeared  upon  the  quarter,  and 
totally  disabling  the  commander  himself.  The  confusion  of  the 


THE    CENTURION    AND    THE    TREASURE-SHIP. 


Spaniards  was  now  plainly  visible  from  the  Centurion.  The 
officers  could  no  longer  bring  the  men  up  to  the  work ;  and,  at 
about  three  in  the  afternoon,  she  struck  her  colors  and  sur 
rendered. 

The  galleon,  named  the  Nostra  Signora  de  Cabadonga, 
proved  to  be  worth,  in  hard  money,  one  million  and  a  quarter  of 
dollars.  She  lost  sixty-seven  men  in  the  action,  besides  eighty- 
four  wounded ;  while  the  Centurion  lost  but  two  men,  and  had 
but  seventeen  wounded,  all  of  whom  recovered  but  one.  "Of  so 
little  consequence,"  remarks  Anson,  "are  the  most  destructive 
arms  in  untutored  and  unpractised  hands."  The  seizure  of  the 
Manilla  treasure  caused  the  greatest  transport  to  the  Centurion's 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  389 

men,  who  thus,  after  reiterated  disappointments,  saw  their  wishes 
at  last  accomplished. 

The  specie  was  at  once  removed  to  the  Centurion,  the  Caba- 
donga  being  appointed  by  Anson  to  be  a  post-ship  in  his  ma 
jesty's  service,  and  the  command  being  given  to  Mr.  Saumarez, 
the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Centurion.  The  two  vessels  then 
stood  for  the  Canton  River,  and  arrived  off  Macao  on  the  llth 
of  July.  On  the  way,  Anson  reckoned  up  not  only  the  value 
of  the  prize  just  captured,  but  the  total  amount  of  the  losses 
his  expedition  had  caused  the  crown  of  Spain  since  it  left  the 
English  shores.  The  galleon  was  found  to  have  on  board  one 
million  three  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
forty-three  dollars,  and  thirty-five  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-two  ounces  of  virgin  silver,  besides  cochineal  and  other 
commodities.  This,  added  to  the  other  treasure  taken  in  pre 
vious  prizes,  made  the  sum  total  of  Anson's  captures  in  money 
not  far  from  two  millions, — independent  of  the  ships  and  mer 
chandise  which  he  had  either  burned  or  destroyed,  and  which  he 
set  down  as  three  millions  more ;  to  which  he  added  the  expense 
of  an  expedition  fitted  out  by  the  court  of  Spain,  under  one 
Joseph  Pizarro,  for  his  annoyance,  and  which,  he  learned  from 
the  galleon's  papers,  had  been  entirely  broken  up  and  destroyed. 
"The  total  of  all  these  articles,"  he  writes,  "will  be  a  most 
exorbitant  sum,  and  is  the  strongest  proof  of  the  utility  of  my 
expedition,  which,  with  all  its  numerous  disadvantages,  did  yet 
prove  so  extremely  prejudicial  to  the  enemy." 

At  Macao,  Anson  sold  the  galleon  for  six  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  much  less  than  her  value.  He  was  very  anxious  to 
get  to  sea  at  once,  that  he  might  be  himself  the  first  messenger 
of  his  good  fortune  and  thereby  prevent  the  enemy  from  forming 
any  projects  to  intercept  him.  The  Centurion  weighed  anchor 
from  Macao  on  the  15th  of  December,  1743:  she  touched  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  llth  of  March,  1744,  where  the 
commodore  sojourned  a  fortnight,  in  a  spot  which  he  considered 


390  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

as  not  disgraced  by  a  comparison  with  the  valleys  of  Juan  Fer 
nandez  or  the  lawns  of  Tiniau.  The  fortuitous  escapes  and 
remarkable  adventures  which  had  characterized  the  career  of  his 
famous  ship  continued  till  she  saluted  the  British  forts.  The 
French  had  espoused  the  cause  of  Spain;  and  a  large  French 
fleet  was  cruising  in  the  Chops  of  the  Channel  at  the  moment 
when  the  Centurion  crossed  it.  The  log  afterwards  proved 
that  she  had  run  directly  through  the  hostile  squadron,  con 
cealed  from  view  by  a  dense  and  friendly  fog.  She  arrived  safe 
at  Spithead,  on  the  15th  of  June,  after  an  absence  of  three 
years  and  nine  months.  Anson  caused  the  captured  wealth  to 
be  transported  to  London,  upon  thirty-two  wagons,  to  the  sound 
of  drum  and  fife.  The  two  millions  were  divided,  according  to 
the  laws  which  regulate  the  distribution  of  prize-money,  between 
Anson,  his  officers  and  men, — the  crown  abandoning  every 
penny  to  those  who  had  suffered  and  fought  for  it.  Anson  was 
now  the  richest  man  in  the  naval  service.  The  sympathy  and 
applause  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  public  may  be  imagined  from 
the  fact  that  the  narrative  of  his  voyage  went  through  four  im 
mense  editions  in  a  single  year,  was  translated  into  seven 
European  languages,  and  met  with  a  far  greater  success  than 
had  ever  fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  maritime  journal. 


BYRON     AT     KING     GEORGE'S     ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE      FIRST     SCIENTIFIC      VOYAGE      OF      CIRCUMNAVIGATION THE      DOLPHIN      AND 

TAMAR BYRON  IN  PATAGONIA FALKLAND  ISLANDS — ISLANDS  OF  DISAPPOINT 
MENT ARRIVAL  AT  TINIAN BYRON  VERSUS  ANSON THE  VOYAGE  HOME — 

WALLIS  AND  CARTERET — THEIR  OBSERVATIONS  IN  PATAGONIA — WALLIS  AT 
TAHITI — A  DESPERATE  BATTLE NAILS  LOSE  THEIR  VALUE A  TAHITIAN  RO 
MANCE — PITCAIRN'S  ISLAND — QUEEN  CHARLOTTE'S  ISLANDS — NEW  BRITAIN — 

THE    VOYAGE    HOME A    MAN-OF-WAR    DESTROYED    BY    FIRE. 

IN  the  year  1764,  England  was  at  peace  with  all  the  world, 
and  his  majesty  George  III.  conceived  an  idea  which  till  then 
had  penetrated  no  royal  brain, — that  of  sending  out  vessels  upon 
voyages  of  discovery  in  the  single  view  of  extending  the  domain 
of  science  and  contributing  to  the  advance  of  geographical 

knowledge.     Voyages  had  previously  been  undertaken  for  pur- 

391 


392  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

poses  either  of  conquest,  colonization,  pillage,  or  privateering ; 
and  discovery  had  usually  been  the  result  of  accident,  and  was 
generally  subordinate  to  the  grand  business  of  plunder  and 
rapine.  The  king  at  once  executed  his  design  by  giving  the 
command  of  the  Dolphin  and  Tamar — the  former  a  man-of-war 
of  twenty-four  guns,  and  the  latter  a  sloop  of  sixteen — to  Com 
modore  John  Byron,  who  had  been  one  of  the  wrecked  captains 
of  Anson's  fleet  in  1740.  The  vessels  sailed  from  Plymouth 
on  the  3d  of  July.  Nothing  of  moment  occurred  during  their 
passage  to  Rio  Janeiro,  if  we  except  the  fact  that  Byron  noticed 
that  no  fish  would  come  near  his  ship,  though  the  sea  was  alive 
with  them  at  a  little  distance, — a  circumstance  which  he  attri 
buted  to  the  Dolphin's  copper  sheathing.  She  was  the  first 
vessel  upon  which  the  experiment  of  coppering  the  bottom  had 
been  tried. 

Upon  the  Patagonian  coast,  Byron  saw  a  party  of  the  natives 
on  horseback,  one  of  whom,  who  dismounted,  he  describes  as 
follows: — "He  was  of  a  gigantic  stature,  and  seemed  to  realize 
the  tales  of  monsters  in  human  shape :  he  had  the  skin  of  some 
wild  beast  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  as  a  Scotch  Highlander 
wears  his  plaid.  Round  one  eye  was  a  large  circle  of  white ; 
a  circle  of  black  surrounded  the  other,  and  the  rest  of  his  face 
was  streaked  with  paint  of  different  colors.  His  height  could 
not  be  less  than  seven  feet.  This  frightful  Colossus  and  his 
whole  company  conducted  themselves  in  a  peaceable  and  orderly 
manner  which  certainly  did  them  honor."  Byron  entered  Ma 
gellan's  Strait  in  December.  During  an  anchorage  here,  a  part 
of  the  men  slept  on  shore :  they  were  always  awakened  from 
their  first  slumber  by  the  roaring  of  wild  beasts,  which  the 
darkness  of  the  night  and  the  loneliness  of  their  situation 
rendered  horrible  beyond  description.  The  animals  were  pre 
vented  from  invading  the  tent  by  the  kindling  of  large  fires. 

Having  determined  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Florida, — a 
store-ship  which  was  to  follow  him, — Byron  returned  into  the 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  393 

Atlantic  and  discovered  a  group  of  islands,  of  which  he  took 
possession  for  King  George  III.  by  the  name  of  the  Falkland 
Islands.  Here  the  seals  and  penguins  were  so  numerous  that  it 
was  impossible  to  walk  upon  the  beach  without  first  driving  them 
away.  The  men  were  also  compelled  to  do  battle  and  fight  hand- 
to-hand  encounters  with  enormous  and  formidable  sea-lions,  and 
with  animals  as  large  as  a  mastiff  and  as  fierce  as  a  wolf.  On 
returning  to  Port  Desire,  in  February,  1765,  the  whales  about 
the  ship  rendered-  the  navigation  dangerous,  and  one  of  them 
blew  a  jet  of  water  over  the  quarterdeck.  The  Florida  arrived 
about  the  same  time,  and  the  Dolphin  and  Tamar  took  from  her 
all  the  provisions  they  could  store.  They  then  entered  the  Strait, 
and,  for  seven  weeks  and  two  days,  struggled  with  the  terrible 
weather  which  at  the  period  of  the  spring  equinox  prevails  in 
that  tempestuous  region.  They  made  Cape  Deseado  on  the 
8th  of  April,  and  soon  after  entered  the  South  Sea. 

Turning  to  the  north  as  far  as  Juan  Fernandez,  and  then 
making  a  long  stretch  to  the  west,  Byron  discovered,  on  the  7th 
of  June,  in  14°  5'  south  latitude  and  in  145°  west  longitude,  a 
group  of  islands  covered  with  delightful  groves  and  evidently 
producing  cocoanuts  and  bananas  in  abundance.  Turtles  were 
seen  upon  the  shore ;  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the  island  was 
tropical  and  attractive  in  the  extreme.  But  a  violent  surge 
broke  upon  every  point  of  the  coast,  and  the  steep  coral  rocks 
which  formed  the  shore  rendered  it  unsafe  to  anchor.  The 
sailors,  prostrated  with  scurvy,  stood  gazing  at  this  little  para 
dise  with  sensations  of  bitter  regret ;  and  Byron  accordingly 
named  the  group  the  Islands  of  Disappointment.  Two  days 
later,  however,  he  discovered  another  group,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  King  George's  Islands.  Here  the  savages,  in  attempt 
ing  to  repel  an  invasion  of  their  domain,  provoked  reprisals,  and 
two  or  three  of  them  were  killed:  one,  being  pierced  by  three 
balls  which  went  quite  through  his  body,  took  up  a  large  stone 
and  died  in  the  act  of  throwing  it.  Byron  obtained  several  boat- 


394  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

loads  of  cocoanuts  and  a  large  quantity  of  scurvy-grass.  After 
discovering  and  naming  Prince  of  Wales'  and  Duke  of  York's 
Islands,  Byron  bore  away  for  the  Ladrones,  a  month's  sail  to 
the  west. 

In  due  time,  and  after  a  voyage  accomplished  without  incident, 
the  two  vessels  arrived  at  the  Ladrone  island  of  Tinian,  already 
famous  from  the  glowing  description  given  of  it  by  Lord  Anson. 
They  anchored  not  far  from  the  spot  where  the  Centurion  had  lain, 
and  in  water  so  clear  that  they  could  see  the  bottom  at  the  depth 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-four  feet.  Byron  gives  a  very  different 
account  of  the  island  from  that  furnished  by  Anson, — a  fact  attri 
butable  to  the  circumstance  that  he  visited  it  during  the  rainy 
season.  The  undergrowth  in  the  woods  was  so  thick,  he  says, 
that  they  could  not  see  three  yards  before  them :  -the  meadows 
were  covered  with  stubborn  reeds  higher  than  their  heads,  and 
which  cut  then:  legs  like  whipcord.  Every  time  they  spoke 
they  inhaled  a  mouthful  of  flies.  In  the  Centurion's  well  they 
found  water  that  was  brackish  and  full  of  worms.  Centipedes 
bit  and  scorpions  bled.  The  ships  rolled  at  anchor  as  never 
ships  rolled  before.  The  rains  were  incessant.  The  heat  was 
suffocating,  being  only  nine  degrees  less  than  the  heat  of  the 
blood  at  the  heart.  Anson's  cattle  were  very  shy;  for  it  took 
six  men  three  days  and  three  nights  to  capture  and  kill  a 
bullock,  whose  flesh,  when  dragged  home  to  the  tents,  invariably 
proved  to  be  fly-blown  and  useless. 

After  a  stay  of  nine  weeks  at  Tinian,  Byron  weighed  anchor 
on  the  30th  of  September,  with  a  cargo  of  two  thousand  cocoa- 
nuts.  On  the  5th  of  October,  he  touched  at  the  Malay  island 
of  Timoan.  The  inhabitants  were  inclined  to  drive  hard  bar 
gains  and  to  part  with  as  few  provisions  as  possible.  They  were 
even  offended  at  the  sailors  hauling  the  seine  and  taking  fish 
upon  their  coast.  Leaving  this  ungenerous  island,  they  met 
with  a  fortnight  of  light  winds,  dead  calms,  and  violent  tor 
nadoes,  accompanied  with  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning.  On  the 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  395 

19th  of  October,  they  hailed  an  English  craft'  belonging  to  the 
East  India  Company  and  bound  from  Bencoolen  to  Bengal. 
The  master  sent  them  a  sheep,  a  turtle,  a  dozen  fowls,  and  two 
gallons  of  arrack.  With  this  assistance  Byron  easily  reached 
Java,  where  he  took  in  stores  of  rice  and  arrack.  Nothing  of 
moment  occurred  during  the  run  home,  except  the  incident  of  a 
collision  between  the  Dolphin  and  a  whale,  in  which  the  latter 
appeared  to  be  the  greatest  sufferer,  as  the  water  was  deeply 
tinged  with  blood.  Byron  arrived  at  Deal  on  the  7th  of  May, 
1766.  Each  ship  had  lost  six  men,  including  those  that  were 
drowned.  This  number  was  so  inconsiderable  that  it  was  deemed 
probable  that  more  of  them  would  have  died  had  they  remained 
on  shore.  Byron,  having  discharged  all  the  duties  devolving  on 
him  during  this  voyage  with  prudence  and  energy,  could  not  be 
held  responsible  for  the  poverty  of  the  scientific  results  obtained, 
— a  circumstance  owing  to  the  absence  of  scientific  men,  natu 
ralists,  mathematicians,  astronomers,  &c.  The  Government  re 
solved  to  make  another  effort,  and  to  equip  the  expedition  in  a 
style  more  adequate  to  its  necessities.  The  Dolphin  was  im 
mediately  refitted  and  furnished  for  a  voyage  to  be  made  in  the 
same  seas  under  Captain  Samuel  Wallis.  The  Swallow,  a  sloop 
of  fourteen  guns,  was  appointed  to  be  her  consort,  instead  of  the 
lumbering  Tamar,  and  Captain  Carteret,  who  had  accompanied 
Byron,  was  ordered  to  command  her.  The  Prince  Frederick  was 
appointed  to  accompany  them  as  store-ship.  They  left  Plymouth 
in  company  on  the  22d  of  August,  1766. 

The  run  to  Magellan's  Strait  offers  no  points  of  interest.  They 
entered  into  amicable  relations  with  the  Patagonians.  These 
people,  who.  from  Magellan's  and  Byron's  accounts,  had  obtained 
the  reputation  of  being  giants  of  seven  feet,  were  measured  with 
a  rod  by  Wallis.  The  tallest  were  six  feet  six,  while  their 
average  height  was  from  five  feet  ten  to  six  feet.  He  invited 
several  of  them  on  board,  where,  following  the  example  of 
Magellan,  he  showed  one  of  them  a  looking-glass.  "This, 


396  MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 

however,"  he  says,  "excited  little  astonishment,  but  afforded 
them  infinite  diversion."  The  Prince  Frederick  took  on  board, 
by  Wallis'  order,  several  thousand  young  trees,  which  had  been 
carefully  removed  with  their  roots  and  the  earth  about  them, 
and  transported  them  to  the  Falkland  Islands,  where  there  was 
no  growth  of  wood.  Captain  Carteret  climbed  a  mountain  in 
the  hope  of  obtaining  a  view  of  the  South  Sea:  he  erected  a 
pyramid,  in  which  he  deposited  a  bottle  containing  a  shilling  and 
a  paper, — a  memorial  which,  he  remarked,  might  possibly  remain 
there  as  long  as  the  world  endured.  At  other  points  the  land 
was  bare,  covered  with  snow,  or  piled  to  the  clouds  with  rocks, 
looking  like  the  ruins  of  nature  doomed  to  everlasting  sterility 
and  desolation. 

A  storm  now  disabled  both  ships,  and  Carteret  found  the 
Swallow  to  be  almost  unmanageable.  From  this  time  forward, 
during  the  passage  of  the  Strait,  the  inhabitants  they  met  seemed 
to  be  the  most  miserable  of  human  beings, — half  frozen,  half 
fed,  half  clothed.  After  four  months'  dangerous  and  tedious 
navigation,  they  issued  from  the  Strait  into  the  ocean  on  the 
llth  of  April,  1767,  bidding  farewell  to  a  region  where  in  the 
midst  of  summer  the  weather  was  tempestuous,  "where  the 
prospect  had  more  the  appearance  of  chaos  than  of  nature,  and 
where,  for  the  most  part,  the  valleys  were  without  herbage  and 
the  hills  without  wood."  A  storm  here  separated  the  Dolphin 
and  the  Swallow,  and  from  this  point  the  adventures  of  Wallis 
and  Carteret  form  two  distinct  narratives.  We  shall  follow  the 
course  of  the  Dolphin,  and  then  return  to  that  of  the  Swallow. 

Wallis  sailed  to  the  northwest  for  two  months  without  inci 
dent,  discovering  Whitsun  Island  and  Queen  Charlotte's  Island 
in  mid-ocean.  At  last,  on  the  19th  of  June,  he  touched  at 
Quiros'  island  of  Sagittaria :  it  had  been  lost  for  a  century 
and  a  half,  and  its  existence  even  was  doubted.  The  Dolphin 
was  soon  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  canoes,  containing  at  least 
eight  hundred  people.  They  did  not  manifest  hostile  intentions, 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  397 

however,  contenting  themselves  with  petty  thefts.  Wallis  sent 
his  boats  to  sound  for  an  anchorage,  and,  observing  the  canoes 
gather  around  them,  fired  a  nine-pounder  over  their  heads.  A 
skirmish  followed,  which  resulted  in  the  Bunding  of  several 
on  both  sides.  But,  on  Wallis'  attempting  to  enter  the  Bay  of 
Matavai,  the  islanders  offered  a  determined  resistance :  three 
hundred  canoes,  manned  by  two  thousand  warriors,  surrounded 
him  and  attacked  him  with  a  hail  of  stones.  Repulsed  for  a 
time,  they  twice  rallied,  and  hurled  stones  weighing  two  pounds 
on  board,  by  means  of  slings.  At  last  a  cannon-ball  cut  the 
canoe  bearing  the  chief  in  halves,  whereupon  canoes  and  war 
riors  disappeared  Avith  the  utmost  precipitation.  The  ship  was 
now  warped  up  to  the  shore,  and  the  boats  landed  without  oppo 
sition.  Mr.  Furneaux,  the  lieutenant,  took  possession  of  the 
island  for  his  majesty,  in  honor  of  whom  he  called  it  King 
George  the  Third's  Island.  The  water  proving  to  be  excellent, 
rum  was  mixed  with  it,  and  every  man  drank  his  majesty's 
health.  The  natives  choosing  to  make  a  demonstration  at  mid 
night,  Wallis  cleared  the  coast  with  his  guns,  and  sent  the 
carpenters  ashore  with  their  axes,  to  destroy  all  the  canoes 
which  in  their  precipitation  they  had  left.  Fifty  canoes,  some 
of  them  sixty  feet  long,  were  thus  broken  up.  These  measures 
brought  the  savages  to  terms,  and  boughs  of  plantains  were  soon 
exchanged  and  vows  of  friendship  pantomimically  expressed. 
Trade  was  established,  and  a  tent  erected  at  the  watering  place. 
The  crew  now  lived  sumptuously  upon  fruits  and  poultry,  and 
in  a  fortnight  the  commander  hardly  knew  them  for  the  same 
people.  This,  as  we  have  said,  was  the  island  which  Cook  was 
to  render  famous  under  the  name  of  Tahiti. 

It  was  not  long  before  it  was  discovered  that  nails,  the  prin 
cipal  medium  of  exchange,  seemed  to  have  lost  their  value  with 
the  islanders.  Bringing  forth  large  spikes  from  their  pockets, 
they  intimated  that  they  desired  nails  of  a  similar  size  and 
strength.  It  was  now  ascertained  that  the  sailors,  having  no 


398  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

nails  of  their  own,  had  drawn  all  the  stout  hammock-pins,  and 
had  ripped  out  the  belaying  cleats.  Every  artifice  was  prac 
tised  to  discover  the  thieves,  but  without  success. 

On  the  llth  of  July,  a  tall  woman  of  pleasing  countenance  and 
majestic  deportment  came  on  board.  She  proved  to  be  Oberea, 
sovereign  of  the  island.  She  seemed  quite  fascinated  by  Wallis, 
who  was  recovering  from  a  severe  illness,  and  invited  him  to  go 
on  shore  and  perfect  his  convalescence.  He  accepted  the  in 
vitation,  and  the  next  day  called  upon  her  at  her  residence, — an 
immense  thatched  roof  raised  upon  pillars.  She  ordered  four 
young  girls  to  take  off  his  shoes  and  stockings  and  gently  chafe 
his  skin  with  their  hands.  While  they  were  doing  this,  the 
English  surgeon  who  accompanied  Wallis  took  off  his  wig  to 
cool  himself.  Every  eye  was  at  once  fixed  upon  this  prodigy 
of  nature.  The  whole  assembly  stood  motionless  in  silent  as 
tonishment.  They  would  not  have  been  more  amazed,  says 
Wallis,  had  they  discovered  that  the  surgeon's  limbs  had  been 
screwed  on  to  the  trunk.  Oberea  accompanied  Wallis  on  his 
way  back  to  the  shore,  and  whenever  they  came  to  a  little 
puddle  of  water  she  lifted  him  over  it. 

It  was  now  discovered  that  one  Francis  Pinckney,  a  seaman, 
had  drawn  the  cleats  to  which  the  main-sheet  was  belayed,  and 
had  then  removed  and  bargained  away  the  spikes.  Wallis  called 
the  men  together,  explained  the  heinousness  of  the  offence, 
and  ordered  Pinckney  to  be  whipped  with  nettles  while  he  ran 
the  gauntlet  three  times  round  the  deck.  To  prevent  the  ship 
from  being  pulled  to  pieces  and  the  price  of  provisions  from 
being  disproportionately  raised,  he  directed  that  no  man  should 
go  ashore  except  the  wooders  and  waterers. 

Oberea  now  became  romantic  and  tender.  She  tied  wreaths 
of  plaited  hair  around  Wallis'  hat,  giving  him  to  understand 
that  both  the  hair  and  workmanship  were  her  own.  She  made 
him  presents  of  baskets  of  cocoanuts,  and  of  sows  big  with 
young.  She  said  he  must  stay  twenty  days  more ;  and,  when 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


399 


he  replied  that  he  should  depart  in  seven  days,  she  burst  into 
tears,  and  was  with  great  difficulty  pacified.  When  the  fatal 
hour  arrived,  she  threw  herself  down  upon  the  arm-chest  and 
wept  passionately.  She  was  with  difficulty  got  over  the  side 
into  her  canoe,  where  she  sat  the  picture  of  helpless,  unutter 
able  woe.  Wallis  tossed  her  articles  of  use  and  ornament,  which 
she  silently  accepted  without  looking  at  them.  He  subsequently 
bade  her  adieu  more  privately  on  shore.  A  fresh  breeze  sprang 
up,  and  the  Dolphin  left  the  island  on  the  27th  of  July. 


PARTING     OF    WALLIS    AND     0  B  E  R  E  A. 


On  his  way  to  Tinian  he  discovered  several  islands,  one  of 
which  the  officers  did  their  commander  the  honor  of  calling 
Wallis'  Island.  At  Tinian  they  found  every  article  mentioned 
by  Lord  Anson,  though  it  required  no  little  time  and  labor  to 
noose  a  bullock  or  bag  a  banana.  When  they  left,  each  man 
had  laid  in  five  hundred  limes.  On  the  passage  to  Batavia,  and 
thence  to  Table  Bay,  the  sick-list  was  very  large,  and  several 
men  were  lost  by  disease  and  accident.  At  the  Cape,  the  crew 


400  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

were  attacked  by  the  small-pox,  and  a  pest-tent  was  erected  upon 
a  spacious  plain.  The  infection  was  not  fatal  in  any  instance. 
The  Dolphin  anchored  in  the  Downs  on  the  20th  of  May,  1768. 
Wallis  was  enabled  to  communicate  a  paper  to  the  Royal  So 
ciety  in  time  for  that  body  to  give  to  Lieutenant  Cook,  then  pre 
paring  for  his  first  voyage,  more  complete  instructions  by  which 
to  govern  his  movements. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  Swallow,  commanded  by  Philip 
Carteret,  and,  as  far  as  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  the  consort  of 
the  Dolphin.  A  storm,  as  we  have  said,  separated  them ;  and, 
while  Wallis  sailed  to  the  northwest,  Carteret  was  driven  due 
north.  He  was  surprised  to  find  Juan  Fernandez  fortified  by 
the  Spanish,  and  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  attempt  a  landing. 
Sailing  now  due  west,  he  discovered  an  island  to  which  he  gave 
the  name  of  Pitcairn,  in  honor  of  the  young  man  who  first  saw 
it.  This  island  we  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  more  particu 
larly  hereafter,  as  it  became  the  scene  of  the  romantic  adven 
tures  of  the  mutineers  of  the  Bounty.  The  vessel  had  now 
become  crazy,  and  leaked  constantly.  The  sails  were  worn, 
and  split  with  every  breeze.  The  men  were  attacked  by  the 
scurvy ;  and  Carteret  began  to  fear  that  he  should  get  neither 
ship  nor  crew  in  safety  back  to  England. 

At  last,  on  the  12th  of  August,  land  was  discovered  at  day 
break,  which  proved  to  be  a  cluster  of  islands,  of  which  Carteret 
counted  seven.  Ignorant  that  Mendana  had  discovered  them  in 
1595,  nearly  two  centuries  previously,  and  had  given  them  the 
name  of  Santa  Cruz,  Carteret  took  possession  of  them,  naming 
them  Queen  Charlotte's  Islands  and  giving  a  distinctive  appella 
tion  to  each  member  of  the  archipelago.  Cocoanuts,  bananas, 
hogs,  and  poultry  were  seen  in  abundance  as  they  sailed  along 
the  shore;  but  every  attempt  to  land  ended  in  bloodshed  and 
repulse.  They  now  steered  to  the  northwest,  and,  on  the  26th 
of  August,  saw  New  Britain  and  St.  George's  Bay,  discovered 
and  named  by  Dampier.  Anchoring  temporarily,  and  again 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  401 

wishing  to  weigh  anchor,  Carteret  found,  to  his  dismay,  that 
the  united  strength  of  the  whole  ship's  company  was  insufficient 
to  perform  the  labor.  They  spent  thirty-six  hours  in  fruitless 
attempts,  but,  having  recruited  their  strength  by  sleep,  finally 
succeeded.  They  had  neither  the  strength  to  chase  turtle  nor 
the  address  to  hook  fish.  Cocoanut-milk  gradually  revived  the 
men,  who  also  received  benefit  from  a  fruit  resembling  a  plum. 

The  wind  not  allowing  Carteret  to  follow  Dampier's  track 
around  New  Britain,  the  idea  struck  him  that  St.  George's  Bay 
might  in  reality  be  a  channel  dividing  the  island  in  twain. 
This  the  event  proved  to  be  correct.  On  his  way  through, 
he  noticed  three  remarkable  hills,  which  he  called  the  Mother 
and  Daughters,  the  Mother  being  the  middlemost  and  largest. 
Leaving  the  southern  portion  of  the  island  in  possession  of  its 
old  name,  New  Britain,  he  called  the  northern  portion  New 
Ireland.  On  leaving  the  channel,  the  vessel  was  in  such  a  state 
that  no  time  or  labor  could  be  any  longer  devoted  to  science  or 
geography:  the  essential  point  was  to  reach  some  European  set 
tlement.  Carteret  discovered  numerous  islands  and  groups,  and, 
after  touching  at  Mindanao,  arrived  at  Macassar,  on  the  island 
of  Celebes,  in  March,  1768.  He  had  buried  thirteen  of  his  men, 
and  thirty  more  were  at  the  point  of  death  :  all  the  officers  were 
ill,  anjl  Carteret  and  his  lieutenant  almost  unfit  for  duty.  The 
Dutch  refused  him  permission  to  land,  and  Carteret  determined 
to  run  the  ship  ashore  and  fight  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  to 
which  their  situation  entitled  them,  and  which  they  must  either 
obtain  or  perish.  A  boat,  bearing  several  persons  in  authority, 
put  out  to  them,  and  commanded  them  to  leave  at  once,  at  the 
same  time  giving  them  two  sheep  and  some  fowls  and  fruit. 
Carteret  showed  them  the  corpse  of  a  man  who  had  died  that 
morning,  and  whose  life  would  probably  have  been  saved  had 
provisions  been  at  once  afforded  him.  This  somewhat  shocked 
them ;  and  they  inquired  very  particularly  whether  he  had  been 

among  the  Spice  Islands,  and,  upon  receiving  a  negative  reply, 

26 


402  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

which  they  appeared  to  believe,  directed  him  to  proceed  to  a 
bay  not  far  distant,  where  he  would  find  shelter  from  the 
monsoon  and  provisions  in  abundance.  He  proceeded,  therefore, 
to  Bonthain,  where  he  altered  his  reckoning,  having  lost  about 
eighteen  hours  in  coming  by  the  west,  while  the  vessels  that 
had  come  by  the  east  had  gained  about  six.  He  stayed  here 
two  months,  with  difficulty  obtaining  natives  to  replace  the  many 
seamen  he  had  lost.  On  the  passage  from  Bonthain  to  Batavia, 
the  ship  leaked  so  fast  that  the  pumps,  which  were  kept  con 
stantly  at  work,  were  hardly  able  to  keep  her  free.  He  arrived 
at  Batavia  on  the  2d  of  June.  Here  the  Dutch  authorities  again 
placed  every  obstacle  in  his  way ;  and  it  was  the  last  week  in  July 
before  he  could  heave  down  the  ship  for  repairs.  These  being 
completed,  he  set  sail  for  England. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1769,  he  touched  at  Ascension,  where 
it  was  the  custom,  as  the  island  was  uninhabited,  for  every  ship 
to  leave  a  letter  in  a  bottle,  with  the  date,  name,  destination,  &c. 
With  this  custom  Carteret  of  course  complied.  Three  weeks 
afterwards,  he  was  overhauled  by  a  ship  bearing  French  colors 
and  sailing  in  the  same  direction  as  himself.  Carteret  was  very 
much  surprised  to  hear  the  French  captain  call  him  and  his 
ship  by  name:  he  was  still  more  surprised  to  hear  that  the 
Dolphin  had  already  returned  to  England,  and  had  reported 
his — Carteret's — probable  loss  in  Magellan's  Strait.  "  How  did 
you  learn  the  name  of  my  ship?"  shouted  Carteret  through  his 
trumpet.  "From  the  bottle  at  Ascension,"  was  the  reply. 
"And  how  did  you  hear  of  the  opinion  formed  in  England  of 
our  fate?"  "From  the  French  gazette  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope."  "And  who  may  you  be,  pray?"  "A  French  East 
Indiaman,  Captain  Bougainville."  The  vessel  was  La  Boudeuse, 
whose  voyage  round  the  world  we  shall  narrate  in  the  following 
chapter.  The  Swallow  anchored  at  Spithead  on  Saturday,  the 
20th  of  March,  having  been  absent  three  years  wanting  two 
days.  No  navigator  had  yet  done  so  much  with  resources  so 


MAN   UPON    THE    SEA.  403 

insufficient:  Carteret's  discoveries  were  of  the  highest  interest 
in  a  geographical  point  of  view.  He  was  a  worthy  predecessor 
of  Cook ;  and  his  achievements  with  a  crazy  ship  and  a  disabled 
crew  prepared  the  public  mind  for  the  researches  which  his 
already  distinguished  successor  would  be  enabled  to  make 
with  the  carefully  equipped  expedition  which  had  lately  started 
under  his  command. 

A  harrowing  incident  which  occurred  at  sea  about  this  time 
produced  a  painful  sensation  throughout  Europe.  The  French 
man-of-war  Le  Prince,  being  on  her  way  from  Lorient  to  Pon- 
dicherry  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire. 
Smoke  was  noticed  ascending  almost  imperceptibly  from  one 
of  the  hatchways.  The  usual  measures  were  promptly  taken, 
eighty  marines  being  placed  on  duty  with  loaded  muskets  to 
enforce  obedience  from  the  crew.  The  pumps  and  buckets  were 
totally  inadequate  to  master  the  now  raging  flames ;  while  the 
fresh  water,  set  running  from  the  casks,  was  of  equally  little 
service.  The  yawl,  by  the  captain's  orders,  had  been  lowered  : 
seven  men  seized  it  and  rowed  rapidly  away.  Of  the  other 
boats,  two  were  burned,  and  one  was  swamped  as  it  touched  the 
water.  The  consternation  now  became  general ;  and  the  despair 
ing  shrieks  of  the  dying,  mingled  with  the  cries  of  the  affrighted 
animals  on  board,  rendered  the  scene  one  of  terrible  confusion. 
The  chaplain  went  about,  granting  a  general  absolution,  and 
extending  the  remission  of  their  sins  even  to  those  who,  to 
avoid  death  by  fire,  committed  suicide  by  leaping  into  the  sea. 
There  were  six  women  on  board,  two  of  them  the  cousins  of  the 
captain.  They  were  lowered  into  the  water  upon  hen-coops,  the 
captain  bidding  them  an  eternal  farewell,  as  it  was  his  duty  and 
his  determination  to  perish  with  the  ship. 

The  water  was  now  alive  with  human  beings,  clinging  to 
spars,  oars,  barrels,  and  other  floating  materials.  Upon  one  spar 
were  nine,  men,  who  had  escaped  the  fury  of  one  element,  and 
were  calmly  awaiting  the  fate  which  they  were  expecting  from 


404 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


another.  They  were  destined  to  die  by  neither,  but  in  a  manner, 
if  any  thing,  more  horrible.  The  flames,  reaching  the  cannon, 
which  by  some  fatal  coincidence  were  loaded,  discharged  them 


one  by  one.  A  ball,  striking  the  spar  by  which  these  nine 
devoted  men  were  kept  afloat,  ploughed  its  way  through  them 
all,  killing  several  outright  and  mortally  wounding  the  rest. 
Not  one  escaped.  The  mast  now  fell  into  the  sea,  making 
terrible  havoc  among  those  within  its  reach;  while  at  every 
moment  a  gun  launched  its  reckless  metal  upon  the  water. 
The  chaplain,  clinging  to  a  bit  of  charred  wood,  edified  all  who 
heard  him  by  his  piety  and  resignation.  Once  he  tried  to  sink, 
but  was  brought  back  by  the  first  lieutenant.  "Let  me  go," 
said  he;  "I  am  full  of  water,  and  it  cannot  avail  to  prolong 
my  sufferings."  "In  his  holy  company,"  says  the  lieutenant,  in 
his  narrative,  "I  passed  three  hours:  during  which  time  I  saw 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  405 

one  of  the  captain's  cousins  give  up  the  effort  to  keep  herself 
afloat,  and  fall  back  and  drown."  This  lieutenant,  surviving 
the  rest,  hailed  the  seven  men  in  the  yawl,  by  whom  he  was 
taken  in,  as  were  also  the  pilot  and  the  quartermaster.  These 
ten  persons  were  all  that  were  saved  out  of  the  three  hundred 
who  composed  the  vessel's  crew.  The  frigate  soon  blew  up ;  and, 
after  this  frightful  scene  of  her  expiring  agony,  all  relapsed  into 
silence. 

The  lieutenant  assumed  the  command  of  the  boat,  and,  rowing 
to  the  remains  of  the  wreck,  ordered  a  search  for  stores  and 
other  articles  of  which  they  had  pressing  need.  They  found  a 
keg  of  brandy,  fifteen  pounds  of  salt  pork,  a  piece  of  scarlet 
cloth,  twenty  yards  of  coarse  linen,  and  a  quantity  of  staves 
and  ropes.  With  the  scarlet  and  an  oar  they  made  a  mast  and 
sail,  with  a  key  they  made  a  pulley,  and  with  a  stave  a  rudder. 
With  this  equipment,  and  without  astronomical  instruments, 
they  started  upon  their  adventurous  voyage,  being  six  hundred 
miles  distant  from  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

Favored  by  a  brisk  breeze,  they  sailed  during  eight  days, 
making  seventy-five  miles  every  twenty-four  hours.  They  were 
nearly  naked,  and  suffered  terribly  from  exposure  to  the  rays  of 
a  tropical  July  sun.  On  the  sixth  day,  a  light  rain  gave  them 
the  hope  of  satisfying  their  devouring  thirst.  They  licked  the 
drops  from  the  sail,  but  found  them  already  bitterly  impregnated 
with  salt.  They  suffered  as  much  from  hunger  as  thirst ;  for  the 
salt  pork,  which  had  been  found  to  cause  blood-spitting,  had  been 
abandoned  on  the  fourth  day.  A  draught  of  brandy  from  time 
to  time  revived  them  somewhat,  but  burned  their  stomachs  with 
out  moistening  them,  causing  them  pain  rather  than  satisfaction. 
On  the  eighth  night,  the  lieutenant  passed  ten  hours  at  the 
helm,  not  one  of  the  remaining  nine  having  the  strength  to 
relieve  him.  It  was  not  possible  they  could  survive  another 
day.  The  dawn  of  the  3d  of  August  brought  with  it  the 
blessed  sight  of  land,  and,  collecting  all  their  strength,  to  avoid 


406  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

being  wrecked  by  the  currents,  tides,  and  reefs,  they  landed  in 
safety  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  men  rushed  upon  the  beach, 
and,  in  their  joy,  rolled  in  the  sand,  and  mingled  thanksgivings 
with  their  shouts  of  joy.  They  no  longer  appeared  like  human 
beings,  suffering  having  rendered  their  faces  frightful  to  behold. 
The  lieutenant  twisted  a  piece  of  red  cloth  about  his  loins  to 
show  his  rank  to  such  inhabitants  as  they  might  fall  in  with. 
A  rapidly-flowing  stream  being  discovered,  they  all  rushed  into 
it,  and  lapped,  rather  than  drank,  its  beneficent  waters. 

The  place  where  they  were  was  a  Portuguese  settlement, 
and  they  were  hospitably  received  by  the  colonists,  who  gave 
them  shirts  and  manioc  in  abundance.  Proceeding  to  Per- 
nambuco,  where  a  Portuguese  fleet  was  stationed,  they  were 
welcomed  with  kindness  by  the  officers,  the  lieutenant  being 
admitted  to  the  admiral's  mess,  and  the  men  being  distributed 
among  the  ships  and  placed  on  full  pay.  They  were  soon  re 
stored  to  their  country,  and  the  lieutenant  communicated  to  the 
Government  an  official  account  of  the  disaster. 


BOUGAINVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

COLONIZATION     OP    THE     FALKLAND     ISLANDS — ANTOINE     DE    BOUGAINVILLE — HIS 

VOYAGE      AROUND      THE     WORLD ADVENTURE     AT      MONTEVIDEO THE       PATA- 

GONIANS TAKING    POSSESSION    OF    TAHITI — FRENCH    GALLANTRY — CEREMONIES 

OF     RECEPTION SOJOURN     AT     THE     ISLAND AOTOUROU THE     FIRST     FEMALE 

CIRCUMNAVIGATOR FAMINE    ON    BOARD REMARKABLE    CASCADE ARRIVAL    AT 

THE    MOLUCCAS INCIDENTS    THERE RETURN    HOME. 

SEVERAL  years  before  the  period  of  which  we  are  speaking, 
the  French  Government  had  colonized  the  Falkland  Islands, 
lying  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Patagonia.  The  establishment 
lasted  barely  three  years,  and,  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view, 
was  a  complete  and  disastrous  failure.  The  Spanish  crown 
subsequently  claimed  these  islands  as  belonging  to  the  continent 

of  South  America,  and  the  King  of  France  was  easily  induced 

407 


408  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

to  abandon  them.  Captain  Louis- Antoine  de  Bougainville  was 
instructed,  in  1766,  to  proceed  to  the  islands,  and  there,  in  the 
name  of  his  French  majesty,  cede  them  to  the  Spanish  authorities 
who  would  be  sent  out  for  the  purpose.  He  was  then  to  con 
tinue  on,  by  the  Strait  of  Magellan  and  the  Pacific,  to  the  East 
Indies,  and  thence  to  return  home.  Should  he  accomplish  this 
task,  he  would  be  the  first  French  circumnavigator  of  the  globe. 

Bougainville  received  the  command  of  the  frigate  La  Bou- 
deuse,  carrying  twenty-six  twelve-pounders,  and  was  to  be 
joined  at  the  Falklands  by  the  store-ship  1'Etoile.  He  sailed 
from  Brest  on  the  5th  of  December,  the  Prince  of  Nassau- 
Singhen,  who  had  been  allowed  to  accompany  the  expedition, 
being  on  board.  They  arrived  at  Montevideo  early  in  February, 
1767,  and  found  there  the  two  Spanish  frigates  to  whose  com 
mander  Bougainville  was  to  surrender  the  Falkland  Islands,  and 
with  whom  he  sailed  in  company  on  the  28th  of  the  month.  They 
met  with  severe  weather,  but  arrived  safely  at  their  destination 
towards  the  close  of  March.  The  settlement  was  made  over  to 
the  Spaniards  on  the  1st  of  April:  the  Spanish  colors  were 
planted  and  saluted  at  sunrise  and  sunset.  The  French  inha 
bitants  were  informed  they  might  either  remain  or  return :  a 
portion  embarked  with  the  garrison  for  Montevideo,  on  their 
way  back  to  France. 

Bougainville  waited  at  the  islands  till  the  end  of  May  for 
the  store-ship,  which  was  to  join  him  at  this  point,  and  then 
returned  to  Rio  Janeiro,  where  he  hoped  to  get  tidings  of  her. 
She  had  but  just  arrived,  bringing  salt  meat  and  liquor  suffi 
cient  for  fifteen  months,  but  no  bread  or  vegetables.  So  he 
was  forced  to  go,  in  quest  of  these  provisions,  back  to  Monte 
video.  From  here  he  went  to  Buenos  Ayres,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  bay  formed  by  the  mouths  of  the  La  Plata,  making  the 
journey,  however,  overland,  as  a  contrary  wind  prevented  his  pro 
ceeding  by  water.  At  night,  he  and  his  party  slept  in  leathern 
tents,  while  tigers  howled  around  them  on  every  side.  Coming 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  409 

to  the  river  St.  Lucia,  which  is  wide,  deep,  and  rapid,  they 
were  at  a  loss  how  to  cross  it.  At  last  their  guide  procured  a 
hollow  canoe,  the  master  of  which  fastened  a  horse  on  each 
side  of  the  bow,  and  then  boldly  assumed  the  reins.  He  sup- 


A  FERRY  BOAT  AT  BUENOS  AYRES. 


ported  the  heads  of  the  horses  above  the  water  and  drove  them 
safely  across  it.  The  Frenchmen  landed  on  the  opposite  side 
dryshod. 

It  was  not  till  the  14th  of  November  that  the  Boudeuse  and 
Etoile,  having  taken  in  supplies  of  biscuit  and  bread,  sailed,  for 
the  last  time,  from  Montevideo.  They  made  the  entrance  of 
the  Strait  of  Magellan  a  fortnight  afterwards.  On  the  8th  of 
December,  they  saw  a  number  of  Patagonians,  who  had  kept 
up  fires  all  night,  hoisting  a  white  flag  on  an  eminence, — a  flag 
which  some  European  ship  had  evidently  given  them  as  a  pledge 
of  alliance.  Bougainville  went  on  shore,  where  some  thirty 
natives  received  him  with  every  mark  of  good  will.  They  em 
braced  him  and  his  party,  shook  hands  with  them,  and  imitated 
the  report  of  muskets  with  their  mouths,  showing  that  they  were 
accustomed  to  fire-arms.  They  aided  the  botanist  in  collecting 
plants  and  simples,  and  one  of  them  applied  to  the  physician 
for  a  prescription  for  his  inflamed  eye.  They  asked  for  tobacco, 
and  swallowed  small  draughts  of  brandy,  blowing  with  their 
mouths  after  the  draught  and  uttering  a  tremulous  inarticulate 
sound.  They  begged  them  to  remain  over  night,  and,  upon  the 


410 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


invitation  being  politely  declined,  accompanied  them  with  cere 
mony  to  the  shore. 

Bougainville,  with  three  of  his  officers,  spent  some  hours  in 
taking  soundings  near  Cape  Froward.  Perceiving  a  small  flat 
rock,  which  barely  afforded  them  standing-room,  they  mounted 


BOUGAINVILLE     IN     MAGELLAN'S    STRAIT. 

upon  it,  hoisted  their  colors,  and  shouted  Vive  le  Roi !  The 
coast  now  resounded  for  the  first  time,  says  Bougainville,  with 
this  compliment  to  his  majesty.  Upon  which  an  English  com 
mentator  remarks  "  that  it  is  a  striking  instance  of  the  vanity 
by  which  the  French  nation  is  distinguished."  The  vessels, 
being  retarded  by  constant  head-winds  and  harassed  by  violent 
storms,  occupied  fifty-two  days  in  threading  the  channel,  and 
the  month  of  January,  1768,  was  well  advanced  before  they 
discovered  the  boundless  expanse  of  the  Pacific. 

Sailing  to  the  northwest,  they  passed  several  low,  half-drowned 
islands,  one  of  which  Bougainville  called  Harp  Island.  A 
cluster  of  reefs  he  called  the  Dangerous  Archipelago.  Sore 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  411 

throats  now  troubling  the  crew,  he  attributed  them  to  the  snow 
water  of  the  Strait,  and  cured  them  by  putting  a  pint  of  vinegar 
and  a  dozen  red-hot  bullets  into  the  daily  water-cask.  He  com 
bated  the  scurvy  by  employing  lemonade  prepared  from  a  con 
centration  in  the  form  of  powder.  He  made  fresh  water  from 
salt  water  by  means  of  a  distilling  apparatus  which  furnished  a 
barrelful  every  night.  In  order  to  economize  their  drinking- 
water,  their  bread  was  kneaded  with  water  dipped  up  from  the 
sea.  On  the  4th  of  April,  they  discovered  land ;  and  fires  burn 
ing  during  the  night  over  a  wide  extent  of  coast  showed  them 
that  it  was  inhabited  and  populous.  In  the  morning  a  canoe  pro 
pelled  by  twelve  naked  men  approached.  The  chief,  with  a  pro 
digious  growth  of  hair  which  stood  like  bristles  divergent  on  his 
head,  offered  the  commander  a  cluster  of  bananas,  indicating  that 
this  was  the  olive-branch  in  use  in  Tahiti, — the  island  at  which 
the  ships  had  now  arrived.  Presents  were  exchanged  and  an 
alliance  effected. 

The  vessels  were  now  surrounded  with  canoes  laden  with 
cocoanuts  and  bananas,  and  a  brisk  and  tolerably  honest  trade 
was  driven  by  the  natives  and  the  strangers.  The  aspect  of  the 
coast — the  mountains  covered  with  foliage  to  their  very  summits, 
the  lowlands  interspersed  with  meadows  and  with  plantations  of 
tropical  fruit,  cascades  pouring  down  from  the  rocks  into  the  sea, 
streams  flowing  among  lovely  clusters  of  huts  situated  upon  the 
shore — offered  an  enchanting  scene  to  the  wearied  crews.  While 
the  Boudeuse  was  casting  her  anchor,  canoes  filled  with  women 
came  around  her.  "These,"  adds  Bougainville,  with  charac 
teristic  French  gallantry,  "are  not  inferior  for  agreeable  fea 
tures  to  most  European  women.  It  was  very  difficult,  amidst 
such  a  sight,  to  keep  at  their  work  four  hundred  young  sailors 
who  had  seen  none  of  the  fair  sex  for  six  months.  The  capstan 
was  never  hove  with  more  alacrity  than  on  this  occasion." 

The  captain  and  several  officers  now  went  on  shore,  where 
they  were  received  with  high  glee  by  all,  with  the  exception  of  a 


412  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

venerable  man,  apparently  a  philosopher,  "  whose  thoughtful  and 
suspicious  air  seemed  to  show  that  he  feared  the  arrival  of  a  new 
race  of  men  would  trouble  those  happy  days  which  he  had  spent 
in  peace."  A  poet,  reclining  beneath  a  tree,  sang  them  a  song 
to  the  accompaniment  of  a  flute  which  a  musician  blew,  not  with 
his  mouth,  but  with  one  of  his  nostrils.  In  return  for  this  en 
tertainment,  the  strangers  gave,  at  night,  an  exhibition  of  sky 
rockets,  witch-quills,  and  other  pyrotechnics.  The  chief,  learn 
ing  that  the  Prince  of  Nassau  was  a  man  of  royal  blood,  offered 
him  a  wife ;  but,  as  the  lady  was  advanced  in  years  and  corre 
spondingly  mature  in  appearance,  the  prince  plead  a  previous 
union  and  escaped. 

The  vessels  stayed  here  a  fortnight,  cutting  wood  and  drawing 
water.  They  lost  six  anchors  during  their  sojourn,  and  twice 
narrowly  missed  utter  shipwreck, — "  the  worst  consequence  of 
which  would  have  been  to  pass  the  remainder  of  their  days  on 
an  isle  adorned  with  all  the  gifts  of  nature,  and  to  exchange  the 
sweets  of  the  mother-country  for  a  peaceable  life  exempt  from 
cares."  The  islanders  expressed  infinite  regret  at  their  de 
parture, — one  of  them,  Aotourou  by  name,  being  unable  to 
endure  the  separation,  and  asking  permission  to  go  with  them. 
He  gave  his  young  wife  three  pearls  which  he  had  in  his  ears, 
kissed  her,  and  went  on  board  the  ship.  Bougainville  quitted 
the  island  on  the  16th  of  April,  no  less  surprised  at  the  sorrow 
the  inhabitants  testified  at  his  departure  than  at  their  affection 
ate  confidence  on  his  arrival. 

He  directed  his  course  so  as  to  avoid  the  Pernicious  Isles, 
warned  by  the  disasters  of  Roggewein  to  avoid  them.  Aotourou 
pointed  at  night  to  the  bright  star  in  Orion's  shoulder,  indicating 
that  they  should  guide  their  course  by  it,  and  that  in  two  days 
it  would  bring  them  to  a  fertile  island  where  he  had  friends  and 
children.  Being  vexed  that  no  attention  was  paid  to  his  advice, 
he  rushed  to  the  helm,  seized  the  wheel,  and  endeavored  to  put 
the  ship  about.  In  the  morning  he  climbed  to  the  mast-head,  and 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  413 

sought,  in  the  distant  horizon,  the  favored  land  of  which  he  had 
spoken. 

The  vessels  kept  on  steadily  to  the  westward,  passing  through 
Navigator's  Islands  and  the  group  which  Quiros  had  named 
Espiritu  Santo.  To  the  latter  Bougainville  gave  the  name  of 
Grandes  Cyclades, — one,  however,  not  destined  to  be  long  re 
tained.  He  was  at  this  time  informed  that  Bard,  the  servant  of 
M.  de  Commerc.on,  the  botanist  of  the  Etoile,  was  a  woman. 
He  went  on  board  the.  store-ship  to  make  investigations.  He 
thought  the  report  incredible,  as  Bard  was  already  an  expert 
botanist,  and  had  acquired  the  name,-  during  his  excursions  with 
his  master  among  the  snows  of  Magellan's  Strait, — where  he 
carried  provisions,  fire-arms,  and  bundles  of  plants, — of  being  his 
beast  of  burden.  The  first  suspicion  of  him  occurred  at  Tahiti, 
where  the  natives,  with  the  keen  intuition  of  savages,  cried  out 
in  their  dialect,  "It  is  a  woman  !"  and  insisted  on'  paying  her 
the  attentions  due  to  her  sex.  When  Bougainville  went  on 
board  the  Etoile,  Bard,  bathed  in  tears,  admitted  that  she  was  a 
woman.  She  said  she  was  an  orphan,  had  served  before  in  men's 
clothes,  and  that  the  idea  of  a  voyage  around  the  world  had 
inflamed  her  curiosity.  Bougainville  does  her  the  justice  to 
state  that  she  always  behaved  on  board  with  the  most  scrupulous 
modesty.  She  was  not  handsome,  and  was  twenty-seven  years  of 
age.  She  was  the  first  woman  that  ever  circumnavigated  the  globe. 
•It  was  not  long  before  the  provisions  began  to  give  out,  and 
the  crew  were  put  upon  half  rations.  The  commander  was  soon 
obliged  to  forbid  the  eating  of  old  leather,  as  it  was  becoming  as 
scarce  as  biscuit  and  was  quite  as  necessary.  The  butcher  shed 
tears  upon  sacrificing  a  favorite  goat,  and  Bougainville  turned 
away  his  head  as  that  sanguinary  personage,  with  equally  cruel 
intent,  whistled  to  a  young  Patagonian  dog.  Breakers,  reefs, 
and  channels,  where  the  tide  ran  fast  and  dangerously,  indicated 
the  presence  of  land,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Louisiade. 
This  is  a  group  of  islands  inhabited  by  Papuans. 


414  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

On  the  coast  of  New  Britain,  at  an  uninhabited  spot  which 
Bougainville  named  Port  Praslin,  he  obtained  a  supply  of  inferior 
provisions,  such  as  thatch-palms,  cabbage-trees,  and  mangle 
apples.  A  species  of  aromatic  ivy  was  likewise  found,  in  which 
the  physicians  discovered  anti-scorbutic  properties ;  and  a  store 
of  it  was  therefore  laid  in.  An  immense  cascade,  which  fur 
nished  the  vessels  with  fresh  water,  is  enthusiastically  described 
by  Bougainville.  After  a  stay  of  eight  days  at  Port  Praslin, 


CASCADE  AT  PORT  PRASLIN. 


during  which  time  the  heavens  were  black  with  continual  tem 
pests,  the  vessels  profited  by  a  change  of  wind  and  continued 
their  westerly  course.  The  field-tents  were  cut  up,  and  trousers 
made  from  them  were  distributed  to  the  two  ships'  companies. 
Another  ounce  was  taken  from  the  daily  allowance  of  bread. 
From  time  to  time  canoes  would  shoot  out  from  the  coast  of  New 
Britain ;  but  the  hostility  and  treachery  of  the  natives  rendered 
all  efforts  to  obtain  food  from  them  unavailing. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  Bougainville  made  the  island  of 
Boero,  one  of  the  Moluccas,  where  he  knew  the  Dutch  had  a  small 
factory  and  a  weak  garrison.  All  his  men  were  now  sick,  without 
exception.  The  provisions  remaining  were  so  nauseous  that, 
as  he  says,  "the  hardest  moments  of  the  sad  days  we  passed 
were  those  when  the  bell  gave  us  notice  to  take  in  this  disgusting 
and  unwholesome  food.  But  now  our  misery  was  to  have  an  end. 
Ever  since  midnight  a  pleasant  scent  exhaled  from  the  aromatic 


MAN   UPON    THE   SEA.  415 

plants  with  which  the  Moluccas  abound ;  the  aspect  of  a  con 
siderable  town,  situated  in  the  bottom  of  the  gulf,  of  ships  at 
anchor  there,  and  of  cattle  rambling  through  the  meadows, 
caused  transports  which  I  have  doubtless  felt,  but  which  I  can 
not  here  describe." 

It  was  found  that  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  reigned 
supreme,  and  that  the  governor  was  disposed  to  keep  to  the 
letter  of  his  instructions,  which  forbade  him  to  receive  any  ships 
but  those  of  the  monopoly.  Bougainville  was  obliged  to  plead 
the  claims  of  hunger  and  considerations  of  humanity  before  the 
authorities  would  listen  to  him.  They  then  furnished  him  with 
rice,  poultry,  sago,  goats,  fish,  eggs,  fruit,  and  venison,  the  latter 
being  the  flesh  of  stags  introduced  and  acclimated  by  the  Dutch. 
Henry  Inman,  the  Dutch  governor,  though  placed  in  a  critical 
position  by  this  arrival,  behaved  as  became  an  honorable  and 
generous  man.  He  first  did  his  duty  towards  his  superiors,  and 
then  towards  fellow-creatures  in  distress.  Aotourou,  the  Tahi- 
tian,  not  being  taken  ashore  by  the  commander  on  his  first  visit, 
imagined  that  it  was  because  he  was  bow-legged  and  knock-kneed, 
and  begged  some  of  the  sailors  to  stand  upon  his  legs  and 
straighten  them  out. 

During  the  run  back  to  France,  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  St.  Helena,  and  the  Cape  Verd  Islands,  nothing  happened 
which  requires  mention  here.  Bougainville  entered  the  port  of 
St.  Malo  on  the  16th  of  March,  1769,  having  been  absent  two 
years  and  four  months,  and  having  lost  but  seven  men  during 
the  voyage.  He  was  the  first  Frenchman  who  ever  went  round 
the  world  in  one  ship, — one  Gentil  de  la  Barbinais,  a  pirate, 
having  accomplished  a  voyage  of  circumnavigation  in  several 
ships,  some  fifty  years  before.  He  sustained  his  claim  to  this 
honor  by  publishing,  two  years  afterwards,  a  narrative  of  his 
expedition,  written  in  an  animated  and  graceful  style,  and  which 
established  his  reputation  as  a  sailor  and  explorer. 


CAPTAIN    JAMES    COOK. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

EXPEDITION   DESPATCHED  AT  THE   INSTANCE  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY — LIEUTENANT 

JAME8     COOK INCIDENTS     OF    THE     VOYAGE — A    NIGHT     ON     SHORE    IN     TERRA 

DEL  FUEGO— -ARRIVAL  AT  TAHITI — THE  NATIVES  PICK  THEIR  POCKETS — THE 
OBSERVATOEY — A  NATIVE  CHEWS  A  QUID  OF  TOBACCO — THE  TRANSIT  OF  VENUS 
— TWO  OF  THE  MARINES  TAKE  UNTO  THEMSELVES  WIVES — NEW  ZEALAND — 

ADVENTURES    THERE REMARKABLE  WAR-CANOE CANNIBALISM  DEMONSTRATED 

— THEORY  OF  A  SOUTHERN  CONTINENT  SUBVERTED — NEW  HOLLAND — BOTANY 
BAY — THE  ENDEAVOR  ON  THE  ROCKS — EXPEDIENT  TO  STOP  THE  LEAK — A  CON 
FLAGRATION — PASSAGE  THROUGH  A  REEF — ARRIVAL  AT  BATAVIA — MORTALITY 
ON  THE  VOYAGE  HOME — COOK  PROMOTED  TO  THE  RANK  OF  COMMANDER. 

IN  the  year  1768,  the  Royal  Society  of  England  induced  the 
Government  to  equip  and  despatch  a  vessel  to  the  South  Seas. 
The  reader  may  perhaps  imagine — and,  from  what  has  preceded 
in  this  volume,  he  would  be  amply  justified  in  so  doing — that  its 
purpose  was  plunder,  and  its  object  either  the  capture  of  the 

Manilla  galleon  or  the  sack  and  pillage  of  the  luckless  town  of 
416 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  417 

Paita.  Thirty  years,  however,  have  elapsed  since  the  voyage  of 
Anson, — the  last  of  the  royal  buccaneers.  The  vessel  whose 
career  we  are  now  to  chronicle  sought  neither  capture,  nor  spoil, 
nor  prize-money.  It  was  a  peaceful  ship,  with  a  peaceful  name, 
— the  Endeavor :  her  commander  bore  a  name  to  be  rendered 
illustrious  by  peaceful  deeds,  and  he  was  bound  upon  a  peaceful 
errand.  James  Cook,  an  officer  of  forty  years  of  age,  who  had 
rendered  efficient  service  in  America,  at  the  capture  of  Quebec, 
and  who  had  shown  himself  a  capable  astronomer,  was  instructed 
to  proceed  to  the  island  named  Sagittaria  by  Quiros,  and  King 
George  the  Third's  Island  by  Wallis,  there  to  observe  and  record 
the  transit  of  the  planet  Venus  over  the  disk  of  the  sun.  The 
position  of  the  island  as  reported  by  Wallis  was  deemed  to  be 
exceedingly  favorable  for  such  an  observation.  Cook  was  pro 
moted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant ;  Charles  Green  was  attached  to 
the  ship  in  the  capacity  of  astronomer,  Joseph  Banks  and  Solander 
— the  latter  a  Swede  and  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus — in  that  of  natural 
ists,  Buchan  as  draughtsman,  and  Parkinson  as  painter.  The 
vessel  sailed  from  Plymouth  Sound,  with  a  fair  wind,  on  the 
25th  of  August. 

The  voyage  to  Rio  Janeiro  was  enlivened  by  many  incidents 
now  of  quite  ordinary  occurrence,  but  novel  and  interesting  to 
navigators  one  hundred  years  ago.  They  saw  flying-fish  whose 
scales  had  the  color  and  brightness  of  burnished  silver.  They 
caught  a  specimen  of  that  species  of  mollusk  which  sailors  call  a 
Portuguese  Man-of-War, — a  creature  ornamented  with  exquisite 
pink  veins,  and  which  spreads  before  the  wind  a  membrane  which 
it  uses  as  a  sail.  They  observed  that  luminous  appearance  of 
the  sea  now  familiar  to  all,  but  then  a  startling  novelty.  They 
were  of  opinion  that  it  proceeded  from  some  light-emitting  animal : 
they  threw  over  their  casting-net,  and  drew  up  vast  numbers  of 
medusae,  which  had  the  appearance  of  metal  heated  to  a  glow 
and  gave  forth  a  white  and  silvery  effulgence.  At  Rio  Janeiro 

the  viceroy  regarded  them  with  strong  suspicion,  and  refused  to 

27 


418  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

allow  Mr.  Banks  to  collect  plants  upon  the  shore.  He  could  not 
understand  the  transit  of  Venus  over  the  sun,  which  he  was  told 
was  an  astronomical  phenomenon  of  great  importance, — having 
gathered  the  idea  from  his  interpreter  that  it  was  the  passage  of 
the  North  Star  through  the  South  Pole.  On  Wednesday,  the 
7th  of  December,  they  again  weighed  anchor,  and  left  the  Ameri 
can  dominions  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  the  air  at  the  time  being 
laden  with  butterflies,  and  several  thousands  of  them  hovering 
playfully  about  the  mast-head. 

Towards  the  1st  of  January,  1769,  the  sailors  began  to  com 
plain  of  cold,  and  each  of  them  received  a  Magellanic  jacket. 
On  the  llth,  in  the  midst  of  penguins,  albatrosses,  sheer-waters, 
seals,  whales,  and  porpoises,  they  descried  the  Falkland  Islands, 
and,  soon  after,  the  coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego.  On  the  15th,  ten 
or  twelve  of  the  company  went  on  shore,  and  were  met  by 
thirty  or  forty  of  the  natives.  Each  of  the  latter  had  a  small 
stick  in  his  hand,  which  he  threw  away,  seeming  to  indicate  by 
this  pantomime  a  renunciation  of  weapons  in  token  of  peace. 
Acquaintance  was  then  speedily  made  :  beads  and  ribbons  were 
distributed,  and  a  mutual  confidence  and  good-will  produced. 
Conversation  ensued, — if  speaking  without  conveying  a  meaning, 
and  listening  without  comprehending,  can  be  called  so.  Three 
Indians  accompanied  the  strangers  back  to  the  ship.  One  of 
them,  apparently  a  priest,  performed  a  ceremony  of  exorcism, 
vociferating  with  all  his  force  at  each  new  portion  of  the  vessel 
which  met  his  gaze,  seemingly  for  the  purpose  of  dispelling  the 
influence  of  magic  which  he  supposed  to  prevail  there. 

A  botanical  party  under  Solander  and  Banks  attempted  an 
excursion  into  the  interior,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  speci 
mens  of  the  plants  of  the  country.  The  snow  lay  deep  upon 
the  ground,  and  the  weather  was  very  severe.  An  accident 
rendered  it  impossible  for  them  to  return  to  the  ship ;  and  they 
were  compelled  to  pass  the  night,  without  shelter,  among  the 
mountains.  Solander  well  knew  that  extreme  cold,  when  joined 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  419 

with  fatigue,  produces  a  torpor  and  sleepiness  which  are  almost 
irresistible :  he  therefore  conjured  the  company  to  keep  moving, 
whatever  pain  it  might  cost  them.  "Whoever  sits  down,"  said 
he,  "will  sleep  ;  and  whoever  sleeps  will  wake  no  more."  He 
was  the  first  to  find  the  inclination,  against  which  he  had 
warned  others,  unconquerable,  and  he  insisted  upon  being  suffered 
to  lie  down  upon  the  snow.  He  declared  that  he  must  obtain 
some  sleep,  though  he  had  but  just  spoken  of  the  perils  with  which 
sleep  was  attended.  He  soon  fell  into  a  profound  slumber,  in 
which  he  remained  five  minutes.  He  was  then  awakened,  upon 
the  reception  of  the  news  that  a  fire  had  been  kindled.  He  was 
roused  with  great  difficulty,  and  found  that  he  had  almost  lost 
the  use  of  his  limbs,  his  muscles  being  so  shrunk  that  his  shoes 
fell  from  his  feet.  Richmond,  a  black  servant,  slept  and  never 
woke :  two  others,  overcome  with  languor,  made  their  bed  and 
shroud  in  the  snow.  Such  are  the  terrible  effects  of  cold  in  the 
Land  of  Fire. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  Cook  weighed  anchor  and  commenced 
the  passage  through  the  Straits  of  Lemaire ;  on  the  26th,  he 
doubled  Cape  Horn  and  entered  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  sailed 
for  many  weeks  to  the  westward,  making  many  of  the  islands 
which  had  been  discovered  the  year  before  by  the  French  navi 
gator  Bougainville,  and  himself  discovering  others.  On  the 
llth  of  April,  he  arrived  at  King  George's  Island,  his  destina 
tion,  and  the  next  morning  came  to  anchor  in  Port  Royal  Bay,  in 
thirteen  fathoms'  water.  The  natives  brought  branches  of  a  tree, 
which  seemed  to  be  their  emblem  of  peace,  and  indicated  by  their 
gestures  that  they  should  be  placed  in  some  conspicuous  part  of 
the  ship's  rigging.  They  then  brought  fish,  cocoanuts,  and  bread 
fruit,  which  they  exchanged  for  beads  and  glass.  The  ship's 
company  went  on  shore,  and  mingled  in  various  ceremonies  insti 
tuted  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  fellowship  and  good-will. 
•  During  one  of  these,  Dr.  Solander  and  Mr.Markhouse — the  latter 
a  midshipman — suddenly  complained  that  their  pockets  had  been 


420  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

picked.  Dr.  Solander  had  lost  an  opera-glass  in  a  shagreen  case, 
and  Mr.  Markhouse  had  been  relieved  of  a  valuable  snuff-box. 
A  hue  and  cry  was  raised,  and  the  chief  of  the  tribe  informed 
of  the  theft.  After  great  effort  and  a  long  delay,  the  shagreen 
case  was  recovered ;  but  the  opera-glass  was  not  in  it.  After 
another  search,  however,  it  was  found  and  restored.  The 
savages,  upon  being  asked  the  name  of  their  island,  replied, 
0-Tahiti, — "  It  is  Tahiti."  The  present  mode  of  writing  it,  there 
fore, — Otaheite, — is  erroneous :  Tahiti  is  the  proper  spelling. 

Cook  now  made  preparations  for  observing  the  transit  of 
Venus.  He  laid  out  a  tract  of  land  on  shore,  and  received  from 
the  chief  of  the  natives  a  present  of  the  roof  of  a  house,  as  his 
contribution  to  science.  He  erected  his  observatory  under  the  pro 
tection  of  the  guns  of  his  vessel,  being  somewhat  suspicious  of  the 
object  of  such  constant  offerings  of  branches  as  the  inhabitants 
insisted  upon  making.  Mr.  Parkinson,  the  painter,  found  it  diffi 
cult  to  prosecute  his  labors  ;  for  the  flies  covered  his  paper  to 
such  a  depth  that  he  could  not  see  it,  and  eat  off  the  color  as 
fast  as  he  applied  it.  The  music  of  the  country,  as  the  party 
gathered  from  a  serenade  played  in  their  honor,  was  at  once 
eccentric  and  laborious.  The  favorite  instrument  was  a  sort  of 
German  flute,  which  sounded  but  four  semitones.  The  performer 
did  not  apply  this  apparatus  to  his  mouth,  but,  stopping  up  one 
of  his  nostrils  with  his  thumb,  blew  into  it  with  the  other,  as 
Bougainville  had  already  had  occasion  to  observe. 

One  day  Mr.  Banks  was  informed  that  an  Indian  friend  of 
his,  Tubourai  by  name,  was  dying,  in  consequence  of  something 
which  the  sailors  had  given  him  to  eat.  He  hastened  to  his  hut, 
and  found  the  invalid  leaning  his  head  against  a  post  in  an  atti 
tude  of  the  utmost  despondency.  The  islanders  about  him  inti 
mated  that  he  had  been  vomiting,  and  produced  a  leaf  folded  up 
with  great  care,  which  they  said  contained  some  of  the  poison 
from  the  fatal  effects  of  which  he  was  now  expiring.  He  had 
chewed  the  portion  he  had  taken  to  powder,  and  had  swallowed 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  421 

the  spittle.  During  Mr.  Banks's  examination  of  the  leaf  and  its 
contents,  he  looked  up  with  the  most  piteous  aspect,  intimating 
that  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  live.  The  deadly  substance 
proved  to  be  a  quid  of  tobacco.  Mr.  Banks  prescribed  a  plenti 
ful  dose  of  cocoanut-milk,  which  speedily  dispelled  Tubourai's 
sickness  and  apprehensions. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  the  astronomical  quadrant  was  taken  on 
shore  for  the  first  time  and  deposited  in  Cook's  tent.  The  next 
morning  it  was  missing,  and  a  vigorous  search  was  instituted.  It 
had  been  stolen  by  the  natives  and  carried  seven  miles  into 
the  interior.  Through  the  intervention  of  Tubourai  it  was 
recovered  and  replaced  in  the  observatory. 

Thus  far  the  integrity  of  Tubourai  had  been  proof  against 
every  temptation.  He  had  withstood  the  allurements  of  beads, 
hatchets,  colored  cloth,  and  quadrants,  but  was  finally  led  astray 
by  the  fascinations  of  a  basket  of  nails.  The  basket  was  known 
to  have  contained  seven  nails  of  unusual  length,  and  out  of  these 
seven  five  were  missing.  One  was  found  upon  his  person;  and 
he  was  told  that  if  he  would  bring  back  the  other  four  to  the 
fort  the  affair  should  be  forgotten.  He  promised  to  do  so,  but, 
instead  of  fulfilling  his  promise,  removed  with  his  family  to  the 
interior,  taking  the  nails  and  all  his  furniture  with  him. 

The  transit  of  Venus  was  observed,  with  perfect  success,  on 
the  3d  of  June,  by  means  of  three  telescopes  of  different  magni 
fying  powers,  by  Cook,  Dr.  Solander,  and  Mr.  Green.  Not  a 
cloud  passed  over  the  sky  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the 
sun.  A  party  of  natives  contemplated  the  process  in  solemn 
silence,  and  were  made  to  understand  that  the  strangers  had 
visited  their  island  for  the  express  purpose  of  witnessing  the  im 
mersion  of  the  planet. 

The  ship  was  to  leave  Tahiti  on  the  10th  of  June,  and  the  time 
was  now  spent  in  preparations  for  departure.  On  the  evening 
of  the  9th,  it  was  discovered  that  two  marines,  Webb  and  Gibson, 
had  gone  ashore,  and  were  not  to  be  found.  It  was  ascertained  that 


422  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

they  had  married  two  young  girls  of  the  island,  with  whom  they 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  having  stolen  interviews,  and  to  whom 
they  were  very  much  attached.  They  were  recovered  with  much 
difficulty,  and  compelled,  by  the  stern  laws  of  the  naval  service, 
to  leave  their  wives  behind  them.  The  vessel  sailed  on  the  13th, 
an  Indian  named  Tupia  having  been  gratified  in  his  desire  to 
accompany  Cook  upon  his  voyage.  As  the  anchor  was  weighed, 
he  ascended  to  the  mast-head,  weeping,  and  waving  a  handker 
chief  to  his  friends  in  the  canoe.  The  latter  vied  with  each  other 
in  the  violence  of  their  lamentations,  which  was  considered  by 
the  English  as  more  affected  than  genuine. 

Lieutenant  Cook  now  discovered,  successively,  the  various 
islands  which  he  regarded  as  forming  an  archipelago,  and  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Society  Islands.  He  left  the  last  of  them  on 
the  15th  of  August,  and  on  the  25th  celebrated  the  anniversary 
of  their  leaving  England  by  taking  a  Cheshire  cheese  from  a 
locker  and  tapping  a  cask  of  porter.  On  the  30th,  they  saw  the 
comet  of  that  year,  Tupia  remarking  with  some  agitation  that 
it  would  foment  dissensions  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  two 
islands  of  Bolabola  and  Ulieta,  who  would  seem,  from  this,  to 
have  been  peculiarly  susceptible  to  meteorological  influences. 
On  the  7th  of  October,  they  discovered  land,  and  anchored  in  an 
inlet  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Poverty  Bay.  This  was 
the  northeast  coast  of  New  Zealand, — an  island  discovered  in 
1642  by  Tasman,  and  which  had  not  been  seen  since,  a  space 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  years.  The  natives  received 
them  with  distrust,  and  several  of  them  were  somewhat  unneces 
sarily  killed  by  musket-shots.  All  efforts  to  enter  into  amicable 
relations  with  them  failed,  and  Cook  determined  to  make  another 
attempt  at  some  other  point  of  the  coast.  Here  a  bloody  fight 
took  place,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  three  young  savages 
by  Cook's  men.  They  expected  to  be  put  to  death,  and,  when 
relieved  from  their  apprehension  by  the  kindness  with  which  they 
were  treated,  were  suddenly  seized  with  a  voracious  appetite,  and 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  423 

seemed  to  be  in  the  highest  possible  spirits.  During  the  night, 
however,  they  gave  way  to  grief,  sighed  often  and  deeply,  and  sang 
low  and  solemn  tunes  like  psalms.  The  next  morning  they  were 
brilliantly  decorated  with  beads,  bracelets,  and  necklaces,  and 
displayed  in  this  guise  to  their  countrymen  on  shore.  The  nego 
tiation  totally  failed :  the  boys  were  sent  home,  and  the  ship 
stood  away  from  the  inhospitable  shore  on  Wednesday,  the  llth. 

Cook  coasted  along  the  island  to  the  south,  now  alarming  the 
natives  by  a  single  musket-shot,  now  dispersing  a  hostile  fleet  of 
a  dozen  well-armed  canoes  by  a  discharge  of  a  four-pounder 
loaded  with  grape-shot,  but  aimed  wide  of  the  mark.  At  another 
time  Tupia  would  be  ordered  to  acquaint  a  party  of  shouting  and 
dancing  savages  that  the  strangers  had  weapons  which,  like 
thunder,  would  instantaneously  destroy  them.  Cook  was  badly 
worsted  in  a  bargain  he  made  with  a  species  of  New  Zealand 
confidence-man,  who  came  under  the  stern  and  proposed  to  trade. 
Cook  offered  him  a  piece  of  red  baize  for  his  bear-skin  coat.  The 
savage  accepted.  Cook  passed  over  the  article,  upon  which  the 
islander  paddled  rapidly  away,  taking  with  him  the  baize  and  the 
bear-skin.  An  attempt  made  by  a  party  of  the  natives  to  kidnap 
Tupia's  servant,  Tayeto, — a  Tahitian  like  himself, — and  which 
was  near  being  successful,  induced  Cook  to  name  the  deep 
indentation  of  the  sea  at  this  point  of  the  coast,  Kidnapper's 
Bay. 

Somewhat  farther  to  the  south  they  found  the  natives  more 
disposed  to  be  friendly,  and  Mr.  Banks  and  Dr.  Solander  went 
ashore  and  shot  several  birds  of  exquisite  beauty.  Some  of  the 
ship's  company  returned  at  night  with  their  noses  besmeared  with 
red  ochre  and  oil, — a  circumstance  which  Cook  explains  by  saying 
that  "  the  ladies  paint  their  faces  with  substances  which  are  gene 
rally  fresh  and  wet  upon  their  cheeks  and  were  easily  transferred 
to  the  noses  of  those  who  chose  to  salute  them.  These  ladies," 
he  goes  on  to  say,  "  were  as  great  coquettes  as  any  of  the  most 
fashionable  dames  in  Europe,  and  the  young  ones  as  skittish  as 


424  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

an  unbroken  filly.     Each  of  them  wore  a  petticoat,  under  -which 
was  a  girdle  made  of  the  blades  of  highly-perfumed  grass." 

At  another  point  they  set  up  the  armorer's  forge,  to  repair 
the  braces  of  the  tiller.  They  here  met  an  old  man  who  insisted 
on  showing  them  the  military  exercises  of  the  country,  with  a 
lance  twelve  feet  long,  and  a  battle-axe  made  of  bone  and  called 
a  patoo-patoo.  An  upright  stake  was  made  to  represent  the 
enemy,  upon  which  he  advanced  with  great  fury :  when  he  was 
supposed  to  have  pierced  the  adversary,  he  split  his  skull  with  his 
axe.  Fromjthis  final  act  it  was  inferred  that  in  the  battles  of 
this  country  there  was  no  quarter.  It  was  also  ascertained  that 
cannibalism  was  a  constant  and  favorite  practice.  They  here 
saw  the  largest  canoe  they  had  yet  met  with.  She  was  sixty- 
eight  feet  and  a  half  long,  five  broad,  and  three  deep  :  she  had 
a  sharp  keel,  consisting  of  three  trunks  of  trees  hollowed  out :  the 


A    NEW    ZEALAND   CANOE. 


side-planks  were  sixty-two  feet  long  in  one  piece,  and  quite  elabo 
rately  carved  in  bas-relief:  the  figure-head  was  also  a  master 
piece  of  sculpture. 

The  expedition  had  thus  far  been  sailing  to  the  southward. 
Dissatisfied  with  the  results,  and  finding  it  difficult  to  procure 
water  in  sufficient  quantities,  Cook  put  about,  determining  to  fol 
low  the  coast  to  the  northward.  He  named  a  promontory  in  the 
neighborhood  Cape  Turnagain.  Another  promontory,  more  to 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  425 

the  north,  where  a  huge  canoe  made  a  hasty  retreat,  he  called 
Cape  Runaway.  On  the  9th  of  November,  the  transit  of  Mer 
cury  was  successfully  observed,  and  the  name  of  Mercury  Bay 
given  to  the  inlet  where  the  observation  was  made.  '  Two  locali 
ties,  for  reasons  which  will  be  obvious,  were  called  Oyster  Bay 
and  Mangrove  River.  Before  leaving  Mercury  Bay,  Cook  caused 
to  be  cut,  upon  one  of  the  trees  near  the  watering-place,  the  ship's 
name,  and  his  own,  with  the  date  of  their  arrival  there,  and, 
after  displaying  the  English  colors,  took  formal  possession  of  it 
in  the  name  of  his  Britannic  Majesty  King  George  the  Third. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  they  doubled  North  Cape,  which 
is  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island,  and  commenced  de 
scending  its  western  side.  The  weather  now  became  stormy 
and  the  coast  dangerous,  so  that  the  vessel  was  obliged  to  stand 
off  to  great  distances,  and  intercourse  with  the  natives  was  very 
much  interrupted.  At  one  point,  however,  the  English  satisfied 
themselves  that  the  inhabitants  ate  human  flesh, — the  flesh,  at 
least,  of  enemies  who  had  been  killed  in  battle.  An  Indian,  to 
convince  Mr.  Banks  of  the  truth  of  this,  seized  the  bone  of  a 
human  fore-arm  divested  of  its  flesh,  bit  and  gnawed  it,  draw 
ing  it  through  his  mouth,  and  indicating  by  signs  that  it  afforded 
him  a  delicious  repast.  The  bone  was  then  returned  to  Mr. 
Banks,  who  took  it  on  board  ship  with  him  as  a  trophy  and  a 
souvenir.  He  was  afterwards  told  that  the  New  Zealanders  ate 
no  portion  of  the  heads  of  their  enemies  but  the  seat  of  the  in 
tellect,  and  was  assured  that  as  soon  as  a  fight  should  take  place 
they  would  treat  him  to  the  sight  of  a  banquet  of  brains. 

By  the  end  of  March,  1770,  the  ship  had  circumnavigated 
the  two  islands  forming  what  is  now  known  as  New  Zealand, 
and  had  therefore  proved — what  was  before  uncertain — that  it 
was  insular,  and  not  a  portion  of  any  grand  Southern  mainland. 
The  whole  voyage,  in  fact,  had  been  unfavorable  to  the  notion 
of  a  Southern  continent,  for  it  had  swept  away  at  least  three- 
quarters  of  the  positions  upon  which  it  had  been  founded.  It 


426  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

had  also  totally  subverted  the  theory  according  to  which  the 
existence  of  a  Southern  continent  was  necessary  to  preserve  an 
equilibrium  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  hemispheres ;  for 
it  had  already  proved  the  presence  of  sufficient  water  to  render 
the  Southern  hemisphere  too  light,  even  if  all  the  rest  should  be 
land. 

The  vessel  left  New  Zealand  on  the  31st  of  March,  sailing 
due  west,  and,  on  the  18th  of  April,  Mr.  Hicks,  the  first  lieu 
tenant,  discovered  land  directly  in  the  ship's  path.  This  was 
the  most  southerly  point  of  New  Holland,  and  was  called,  from 
its  discoverer,  Point  Hicks.  Cook  followed  the  coast  for  many 
days  to  the  northward ;  and  it  was  only  on  the  third  that  he 
learned,  from  ascending  smoke,  that  the  country  was  inhabited. 
On  the  thirteenth,  he  saw  a  party  of  natives  walking  briskly 
upon  the  shore.  These  subsequently  retired,  leaving  the  defence 
of  the  coast  to  two  persons  of  very  singular  appearance.  Their 
faces  had  been  dusted  with  a  white  powder,  and  their  bodies 
painted  with  broad  streaks  of  the  same  color,  which,  passing 
obliquely  over  their  breasts  and  backs,  looked  not  unlike  the 
cross-belts  worn  by  civilized  soldiers :  the  same  kind  of  streaks 
were  also  drawn  round  their  legs  and  thighs,  like  broad  garters. 
Each  of  them  held  in  his  hand  a  weapon  two  feet  and  a  half 
long.  The  landing  party  detached  by  Cook  numbered  forty 
men ;  and  one  of  the  musketeers  was  ordered  to  show  the  two 
champions  the  folly  of  resistance,  by  lodging  a  charge  of  small 
shot  in  their  legs.  The  wooders  and  waterers  then  went  ashore, 
and  with  some  difficulty  obtained  the  necessary  supplies. 

Early  in  May,  Cook  landed  at  a  spot  to  which,  from  a  casual 
circumstance,  he  gave  the  name  of  BOTANY  BAY, — a  name  now 
famous  the  world  over.  Mr.  Banks  and  Dr.  Solander  collected 
here  large  quantities  of  plants,  flowers,  and  branches  of  unknown 
trees ;  and  it  was  this  incident  that  furnished  the  pastoral  appel 
lation  to  the  Retreat  for  Transported  Criminals.  They  found 
the  woods  filled  with  birds  of  the  most  exquisite  beauty ;  the 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  427 

shallow  coasts  were  haunted  with  flocks  of  waterfowl  resembling 
swans  and  pelicans ;  the  mud-banks  harbored  vast  quantities  of 
oysters,  muscles,  cockles,  and  other  shell-fish.  The  inhabitants 
went  totally  naked,  would  never  parley  with  the  strangers,  and 
did  not  seem  to  understand  the  Tahitian  dialect  of  Tupia. 

At  a  place  which,  in  consequence  of  the  difficulty  of  pro 
curing  fresh  water,  received  the  name  of  Thirsty  Sound,  the 
watering  party  met  with  singular  adventures.  They  found 
walking  exceedingly  difficult,  owing  to  the  ground  being  covered 
with  a  kind  of  grass,  the  seeds  of  which  were  very  sharp  and 
bearded  backwards,  so  that  when  they  stuck  into  their  clothes 
they  worked  forward  by  means  of  the  beard  till  they  pierced  the 
flesh.  Mosquitos  stung  them  at  every  pore.  The  air  was  so 
filled  with  butterflies  that  they  saw,  smelt,  tasted,  and  breathed 
butterflies.  Black  ants  swarmed  upon  the  trees,  eating  out  the 
pith  from  the  small  branches  and  then  inhabiting  the  pipe  which 
had  contained  it ;  and  yet  the  branches,  thus  deprived  of  their 
marrow  and  occupied  by  millions  of  insects,  bore  leaves,  flowers, 
and  even  fruit.  They  saw  a  species  of  fish  resembling  a  minnow, 
which  appeared  to  prefer  land  to  water :  it  leaped  before  them, 
by  means  of  its  breast-fins,  as  nimbly  as  a  frog ;  when  found  in 
the  water  it  frequently  jumped  out  and  pursued  its  way  upon 
the  dry  ground;  in  places  where  small  stones  were  standing 
above  the  surface  of  the  water  at  a  little  distance  from  each 
other,  it  chose  rather  to  leap  from  stone  to  stone  than  to  pass 
through  the  water.  They  saw  several  of  them  proceed  dry-shod 
over  large  puddles  in  this  ingenious  and  unusual  manner.  The 
ship  left  Thirsty  Sound  on  the  31st  of  May. 

On  the  night  of  Sunday,  the  10th  of  June,  the  vessel  struck 
at  high  tide  upon  a  rock  which  lay  concealed  in  seventeen 
fathoms'  water,  and  beat  so  violently  against  it  that  there 
seemed  little  hope  of  saving  her.  Land  was  twenty-five  miles 
off,  with  no  intervening  island  in  sight.  The  sheathing-boards 
were  soon  seen  to  be  floating  away  all  around,  and  the  false  keel 


428  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

was  finally  torn  off.  The  six  deck-guns,  all  the  iron  and  stone 
ballast,  casks,  staves,  oil-jars,  decayed  stores,  to  the  weight  of 
fifty  tons,  were  thrown  overboard  with  the  utmost  expedition. 
To  Cook's  dismay,  the  vessel,  thus  lightened,  did  not  float  by  a 
foot  and  a  half  at  high  tide, — so  much  did  the  day  tide  fall  short 
of  that  of  the  night.  They  again  threw  overboard  every  thing 
which  it  was  possible  to  spare ;  but  the  vessel  now  began  to  leak, 
and  it  was  feared  she  must  go  to  the  bottom  as  soon  as  she 
ceased  to  be  supported  by  the  rock, — so  that  the  floating  of  the 
ship  was  anticipated  not  as  a  means  of  deliverance,  but  as  an 
event  that  would  precipitate  her  destruction.  The  ship  floated 
at  ten  o'clock,  and  was  heaved  into  deep  water:  there  were 
nearly  four  feet  of  water  in  the  hold.  The  leak  was  held  at  bay 
for  a  time ;  but  the  men  were  finally  exhausted,  and  threw  them 
selves  down  upon  the  deck,  flooded  as  it  was  to  the  depth  of 
three  inches  by  water  from  the  pumps.  The  vessel  was  finally 
saved  by  the  following  expedient,  proposed  and  executed  by  Mr. 
Markhouse.  He  took  a  lower  studding-sail,  and  having  mixed 
together  a  large  quantity  of  oakum  and  wool,  chopped  pretty 
small,  stitched  it  down  in  handfuls  upon  the  sail  as  tightly  as 
possible.  The  sail  was  then  hauled  under  the  ship's  bottom  by 
ropes ;  and,  when  it  came  under'  the  leak,  the  suction  which  car 
ried  in  the  water  carried  in  with  it  the  oakum  and  the  wool. 
The  leak  was  so  far  reduced  that  it  was  easily  kept  under  by 
one  pump.  The  vessel  was  finally  got  ashore  and  beached  in 
Endeavor  River:  the  surrounding  localities  were  fitly  named 
Tribulation  Bay,  Weary  Point,  and  the  Islands  of  Hope. 

The  repairs  of  the  vessel  occupied  many  weeks, — the  officers 
and  crew  occupying  themselves  in  the  mean  time  in  fishing,  in 
endeavors  to  obtain  interviews  with  the  natives,  and  in  excur 
sions  for  botanical  or  geological  purposes.  On  the  14th  of  July, 
Mr.  Gore  killed  an  animal  which  had  excited  the  interest  and 
curiosity  of  the  English  in  the  highest  degree,  being  totally  un 
like  any  animal  then  known.  The  name  given  by  the  natives  to 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  429 

this  creature  was  "kangaroo."  He  was  dressed  the'  next  day 
for  dinner,  and  proved  most  excellent  fare. 

A  party  of  natives  in  the  neighborhood  having  been  rendered 
hostile  by  the  refusal  of  a  pair  of  fat  turtle  belonging  to  the 
ship,  they  snatched  a  brand  from  under  a  pitch-kettle  which  was 
boiling,  and,  making  a  circuit  to  the  windward  of  the  few  articles 
on  shore,  set  fire  to  the  grass  in  their  way.  This  grass,  which 
was  five  or  six  feet  high  and  as  dry  as  stubble,  burned  with 
amazing  fury.  The  fire  made  rapid  progress  towards  a  tent 
where  the  unhappy  Tupia  was  lying  sick  of  the  scurvy,  scorch 
ing  in  its  course  a  sow  and  two  pigs.  Tupia  and  the  tent  were 
saved  in  the  nick  of  time :  the  armorer's  forge,  or  such  parts  of 
it  as  would  burn,  was  consumed.  The  powder,  which  had  been 
taken  ashore,  had  been  transported  back  to  the  magazine  but 
two  days  before.  At  night,  the  hills  on  every  side  were  dis 
covered  to  be  on  fire, — the  conflagration  having  spread  with 
wonderful  celerity.  On  the  3d  of  August,  the  ship  sailed  from 
Endeavor  Biver,  the  carpenter  having  at  last  completed  the 
necessary  repairs. 

The  ship  now  coasted  along  the  edge  of  a  reef  which  stretched 
out  some  twenty  miles  from  the  shore.  This  became  suddenly 
of  so  formidable  an  aspect,  and  the  winds  and  waves  rolled  them 
towards  it  with  such  sure  and  fatal  speed,  that  the  boats  were 
got  out  and  sent  ahead  to  tow,  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
the  ship's  head  round.  The  surf  was  now  breaking  to  a  tremen 
dous  height  within  two  hundred  yards :  the  water  beneath  them 
was  unfathomable.  An  opening  in  the  reef  was  now  discovered, 
and  the  dangerous  expedient  of  forcing  the  ship  through  it 
was  successfully  tried.  They  anchored  in  nineteen  fathoms' 
water,  over  a  bottom  of  coral  and  shells.  The  opening  through 
the  reef  received  the  name  of  Providential  Channel. 

They  sailed  to  the  northward  many  days  within  the  reef,  till 
they  at  last  found  a  safe  passage  out.  Cook  then  for  the  last 
time  hoisted  English  colors  upon  the  eastern  coast,  which  he  was 


430  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

confident  no  European  had  seen  before,  and  took  possession  of  its 
whole  extent,  from  south  latitude  thirty-eight  to  latitude  ten.  He 
claimed  it,  in  hehalf  of  his  Majesty  King  George  the  Third,  by  the 
name  of  New  South  Wales,  with  all  its  bays,  rivers,  harbors,  and 
islands.  Three  volleys  of  small-arms  were  then  fired,  and  the 
spot  upon  which  the  ceremony  was  performed  was  named  Pos 
session  Island.  The  ship  passed  out  to  the  westward,  finding 
open  sea  to  the  north  of  New  Holland, — a  circumstance  which 
gave  great  satisfaction  to  all  on  board,  as  it  showed  that  New 
Holland  and  New  Guinea  were  separate  islands,  and  not,  as  had 
been  imagined,  different  parts  of  the  supposed  Southern  conti 
nent.  On  Thursday,  the  24th  of  August,  the  ship  left  New 
Holland,  steering  towards  the  northwest,  with  the  intention  of 
making  the  coast  of  New  Guinea. 

Early  in  September  they  arrived  among  a  group  of  islands 
which  they  supposed  to  lie  along  the  coast  of  New  Guinea.  As 
they  attempted  to  land,  Indians  rushed  out  of  the  thickets  upon 
them,  with  hideous  shouts,  one  of  them  throwing  something  from 
his  hand  which  burned  like  gunpowder  but  made  no  report. 
Their  numbers  soon  increased,  and  they  discharged  these  noise 
less  flashes  by  four  and  five  at  a  time.  The  smoke  resembled 
that  of  a  musket ;  and,  as  they  held  long  hollow  canes  in  their 
hands,  the  illusion  would  have  been  perfect  had  the  combustion 
been  accompanied  by  concussion.  Those  on  board  the  ship  were 
convinced  the  natives  possessed  fire-arms,  supposing  that  the 
direction  of  the  wind  prevented  the  sound  of  the  discharge  from 
reaching  them.  Cook  determined  to  lose  no  time  in  this  latitude, 
having  accomplished  what  he  considered  as  of  paramount  import 
ance  ;  that  is,  he  had  sailed  between  the  two  lands  of  New  Hol 
land  and  New  Guinea,  and  had  thus  established  their  insular 
character  beyond  any  possibility  of  controversy. 

He  now  sailed  to  the  west,  and  anchored,  on  the  8th  of  October, 
at  Batavia,  in  Java.  Here  he  laid  up  the  ship  for  repairs.  "What 
anxieties  we  had  escaped,"  he  writes,  "in  our  ignorance  that  a 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  431 

large  portion  of  the  keel  had  been  diminished  to  the  thickness 
of  the  under  leather  of  a  shoe !"  But  the  ship's  company, 
which  had  been  so  wonderfully  preserved  from  the  perils  of  the 
sea,  were  destined  to  undergo  the  rude  attacks  of  disease  upon 
land.  Markhouse,  the  surgeon,  Tupia  and  Tayeto,  the  Tahitians, 
and  four  sailors,  were  rapidly  carried  off  by  fever.  On  the  27th 
of  December,  the  ship  weighed  anchor,  the  sick-list  including 
forty  names.  Before  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  she  lost 
Sporing,  one  of  the  assistant  naturalists,  Parkinson,  the  .artist, 
Green,  the  astronomer,  Molineux,  the  master,  besides  the  second 
lieutenant,  four  carpenters,  and  ten  sailors.  Cook  was  forced 
to  wait  a  month  at  the  Cape ;  and  on  the  12th  of  July,  1771, 
he  cast  anchor  in  the  Downs,  after  a  cruise  of  three  eventful 
years.  His  crew  was  decimated  and  his  ship  no  longer  sea 
worthy.  The  skill  and  enterprise  displayed  by  Cook,  and  the 
important  results  attained  by  the  voyage,  induced  the  Govern 
ment  to  raise  him  to  the  rank  of  commander.  We  shall  follow 
him  upon  his  second  voyage,  in  the  next  chapter. 


COOK'S    SHIP    BESET    BY     WAT  E  R  -  S  P  0  U  T  S  . 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

COOK'S    SECOND    VOYAGE — A    STORM — SEPARATION     OF    THE    SHIPS — AUEORA    ATJ8- 

TRALIS NEW    ZEALAND SIX    WATER-SPOUTS    AT    ONCE TAHITI    AGAIN PETTY 

THEFTS     OF     THE     NATIVES COOK      VISITS     THE     TAHITIAN     THEATRE OMAI 

ARRIVAL    AT    THE    FRIENDLY    ISLANDS THE    FLEET  WITNESS  A  FEAST  OF  HUMAN 

FLESH — THE    NEW    HEBRIDES — NEW    CALEDONIA — RETURN    HOME — HONORS    BE 
STOWED    UPON    COOK. 

THE  English  Government  now  determined  to  despatch  an  expe 
dition  in  search  of  the  supposed  Southern  or  Austral  continent. 
A  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Benoit,  had  seen  in  1709,  to  the 
south  of  the  Gape  of  Good  Hope,  in  latitude  54°  and  in  longi 
tude  11°  East,  what  he  believed  to  be  land,  naming  it  Cape  Cir 
cumcision.  Cook  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Kesolution  and 

Adventure,  and  instructed  to  endeavor  to  find  this  cape   and 
432 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  433 

satisfy  himself  whether  it  formed  part  of  the  great  continent  in 
question.  He  left  Plymouth  on  the  13th  of  July,  1772,  and  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  22d  of  November. 

A  terrific  gale  soon  drove  both  vessels  from  their  course, 
washed  overboard  their  live-stock,  and  well-nigh  disabled  the  Reso 
lution.  The  cold  increased  suddenly,  and  drawers  and  fearnaughts 
were  served  in  abundance  to  the  crew.  Immense  ice-islands  now 
occupied  the  horizon,  and  the  sea,  dashing  over  them  to  the  height 
of  sixty  feet,  filled  the  air  with  its  ceaseless  roar.  On  Sunday, 
the  13th  of  December,  they  were  in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Circum 
cision,  but  ten  ^ degrees  east  of  it.  For  weeks  they  kept  in 
high  Southern  latitudes,  now  menaced  by  towering  peaks  of  ice, 
now  enclosed  by  immense  fields  and  floating  masses,  till,  towards 
the  1st  of  February,  1773,  Cook  came  to  the  unwelcome  conclu 
sion  that  the  cape  discovered  by  Benoit  was  nothing  more  than 
a  huge  tract  of  ice,  which,  being  chained  to  no  anchorage  and 
subject  to  no  latitude,  he  had  no  reason  to  expect  to  find  in  the 
spot  where  the  credulous  Frenchman  had  discovered  it  sixty 
years  before. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  the  Resolution  lost  sight  of  the  Ad 
venture,  and  cruised  three  days  in  search  of  her,  firing  guns  and 
burning  false  fires,  but  without  success.  On  the  17th,  between 
midnight  and  three  in  the  morning,  Cook  saw  lights  in  the  sky 
similar  to  those  seen  in  high  Northern  latitudes  and  known  by 
the  name  of  Aurora  Borealis :  the  Aurora  Australis  had  never 
been  seen  before.  It  sometimes  broke  out  in  spiral  rays  and  in 
a  circular  form;  its  colors  were  brilliant,  and  it  diffused  its  light 
throughout  the  heavens.  On  the  24th,  a  tremendous  gale,  accom 
panied  with  snow  and  sleet,  made  great  havoc  among  the  ice- 
islands,  breaking  them  up,  and  largely  increasing  the  number  of 
floating  and  insidious  enemies  the  ship  had  to  contend  with. 
These  dangers  were  now,  however,  so  familiar  to  the  crew,  that 
the  apprehensions  they  caused  were  never  of  long  duration,  and 

were  in  some  measure  compensated  by  the  seasonable  supplies  of 

28 


434  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

water  the  ice-islands  afforded  them,  and  without  which  they 
would  have  been  greatly  distressed. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  Cook  found  himself  in  latitude  59°, 
longitude  146°  East.  He  now  determined  to  quit  this  quarter, 
where  he  was  convinced  he  should  find  no  land,  and  proceed  to 
New  Zealand  to  look  for  the  Adventure  and  to  refresh  his  crew. 
On  the  26th,  he  anchored  in  Dusky  Bay,  New  Zealand,  after 
having  been  one  hundred  and  seventeen  days  at  sea,  and  having 
sailed  eleven  thousand  miles  without  once  seeing  land.  This  point, 
the  most  southerly  of  New  Zealand,  had  never  been  visited  by  a 
European  before. 

While  coasting  to  the  northward,  towards  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound,  where  he  expected  to  find  the  Adventure,  Cook  suddenly 
observed  six  water-spouts  between  his  vessel  and  the  land.  Five 
of  them  soon  spent  themselves ;  the  sixth  started  from  a  point  three 
miles  distant,  and  passed  within  fifty  yards  of  the  stern  of  the 
Resolution,  though  she  felt  no  shock.  The  diameter  of  its  base 
was  about  sixty  feet :  within  this  space  the  sea  was  much  agitated 
and  foamed  up  to  a  great  height.  From  this  a  tube  was  formed, 
by  which  the  water  and  air  were  carried  up  in  a  spiral  stream 
to  the  clouds,  from  whence  the  water  did  not  descend  again, 
being  dispersed  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere.  "  I 
have  been  told,"  says  Cook,  "  that  the  firing  of  a  gun  will  dissi 
pate  water-spouts  ;  and  I  am  sorry  that  we  did  not  try  the  experi 
ment,  as  we  were  near  enough  and  had  a  gun  ready  for  the 
purpose ;  but  as  soon  as  the  danger  was  past  I  thought  no  more 
about  it." 

On  the  18th  of  May,  the  Resolution  discovered  the  Adventure 
in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound :  the  crews  of  the  two  ships  were 
overjoyed  at  meeting  each  other  after  a  separation  of  fourteen 
weeks.  The  captain  of  the  latter  had  seen  upon  the  coast  some 
natives  of  the  tribe  which  had  furnished  Tupia  to  Cook's  vessel 
upon  his  first  voyage.  They  seemed  quite  concerned  when 
informed  that  he  had  died  at  Batavia,  and  were  anxious  to 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  435 

know  whether  he  had  been  killed,  and  whether  he  had  been 
buried  or  eaten. 

Before  leaving  the  island,  potatoes,  turnips,  carrots,  and 
parsnips  were  planted  in  spots  favorable  to  their  growth,  and 
the  natives  were  made  to  understand  their  value  as  esculent 
roots.  A  ewe  and  ram  were  sent  ashore  from  the  Resolution, — 
the  last  pair  of  the  large  stock  put  on  board  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope;  but  they  probably  ate  a  poisonous  plant  during 
the  night,  for  they  were  found  dead  in  the  morning.  The 
Adventure  put  ashore  a  boar  and  two  sows,  in  the  hope  that 
they  would  multiply  and  replenish  the  island. 

The  two  ships  sailed  in  company  from  New  Zealand  on  the 
7th  of  June,  their  purpose  being  to  proceed  to  the  eastward  in 
search  of  land  as  far  as  longitude  140°  West,  between  the  lati 
tudes  of  41°  and  46°  South.  During  a  long  cruise,  Cook  saw 
nothing  which  induced  in  him  the  belief  that  they  were  in  the 
neighborhood  of  any  continent  between  the  meridian  of  New 
Zealand  and  America.  A  fact  which  militated  against  it  was, 
that  they  had,  as  is  usual  in  all  great  oceans,  large  billows  from 
every  direction  in  which  the  wind  blew  a  fresh  gale.  These  bil 
lows  never  ceased  with  the  cause  which  first  put  them  in  motion, 
— a  sure  indication  that  no  land  was  near.  They  constantly 
passed  low  and  half-submerged  islands, — now  consisting  of  coral 
shoals  fretting  the  waves  into  foam,  and  now  of  islets  clothed 
with  verdure.  On  the  17th  of  August  they  arrived  at  Tahiti, 
after  an  entirely  fruitless  voyage. 

The  thieving  and  cheating  propensities  of  the  natives  ap 
peared  in  bold  relief  during  the  sojourn  of  the  English 
upon  their  coast.  The  latter  sometimes  paid  in  advance  for 
promised  supplies  of  hogs  and  fowls,  in  which  case  they  were 
sure  never  to  get  them, — the  wary  trader  making  off  with  his 
axe,  shirt,  or  nails,  and  dispensing  with  the  necessity  of  fulfill 
ing  his  engagement.  The  practice  of  overreaching  was  not 
confined  to  the  underlings  of  society,  but  extended  even  to  the 


436 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


chiefs.  A  potentate  of  high  warlike  renown  came  one  day  to 
the  side  of  the  Resolution,  and  offered  for  sale  a  superb  bundle 
of  cocoanuts,  which  was  readily  bought  by  one  of  the  officers. 
On  untying  it,  it  was  found  to  consist  of  fruit  which  they  had 
already  once  bought,  and  which  had  been  tapped,  emptied 
of  the  milk,  and  thrown  overboard.  The  dishonest  dignitary 
sat  in  his  canoe  at  a  distance,  indicating  by  the  glee  and  vigor 
of  his  pantomime  that  he  enjoyed  in  a  supreme  degree  the  bril 
liant  success  of  this  mercantile  fraud. 

At  another  part  of  the  coast,  Cook  and  his  officers  were  in 
vited  by  Otoo,  the  king,  to  visit  the  theatre,  where  a  play  was 
to  be  enacted  with  music  and  dancing.  The  performers  were 
five  men  and  one  woman,  who  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the 
king's  sister.  The  instruments  consisted  of  three  drums  only, 


«^*      |    •    • 


and  the  music  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  meaning 
of  the  play  was  not  apparent  to  the  English,  except  that  it 
abounded  in  local  allusions, — the  name  of  Cook  constantly  re- 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  437 

curring.  The  dancing-dress  of  the  lady  was  very  elegant,  being 
ornamented  with  long  tassels  made  of  feathers,  hanging  from 
the  waist  downwards. 

Cook  left  Tahiti  early  in  September,  taking  with  him  a 
young  savage  named  Poreo,  who  was  smitten  with  a  desire  to 
visit  foreign  parts.  At  the  neighboring  island  of  Huaheine,  a 
native  named  Omai,  belonging  to  the  middle  class,  was  also 
taken  on  board.  Cook  thus  speaks  of  him  two  years  later : — 
"Omai  has  most  certainly  a  good  understanding,  quick  parts, 
and  honest  principles:  he  has  a  natural  good  behavior,  which 
renders  him  acceptable  to  the  best  company,  and  a  proper  de 
gree  of  pride,  which  teaches  him  to  avoid  the  society  of  persons 
of  inferior  rank.  He  has  passions  of  the  same  kind  as  other 
young  men,  but  has  judgment  enough  not  to  indulge  them  to  an 
improper  excess."  Omai  was  taken  back  to  Huaheine  by  Cook 
when  he  started  upon  his  third  voyage  of  discovery,  in  1776. 
We  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  chronicle  the  incidents  of 
this  restoration. 

Cook  arrived  at  Middlebourg,  one  of  the  Friendly  Islands, 
early  in  October.  Two  canoes,  rowed  by  three  men  each,  came 
boldly  alongside ;  and  some  of  them  entered  the  ship  without 
hesitation.  One  of  them  seemed  to  be  a  chief,  by  the  authority 
he  exerted,  and  accordingly  received  a  present  of  a  hatchet  and 
five  nails.  Tioony — such  was  this  potentate's  name — was  thus 
cheaply  conciliated.  Cook  and  a  party  soon  embarked  in  a 
boat,  accompanied  by  Tioony,  who  conducted  them  to  a  little 
creek,  where  a  landing  was  easily  effected.  Tioony  brandished 
a  branch  of  the  tree  of  peace  in  his  right  hand,  extending  his 
left  towards  an  immense  crowd  of  natives,  who  welcomed  the 
English  'on  shore  with  loud  acclamations.  Not  one  of  them 
carried  a  weapon  of  any  sort :  they  thronged  so  thickly  around 
the  boat  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  room  to  land.  They  seemed 
more  desirous  to  give  than  receive ;  and  many  threw  whole  bales 
of  cloth  and  armfuls  of  fruit  into  the  boat,  and  then  retired 


438  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

without  either  asking  or  waiting  for  an  equivalent.  Tioony  then 
conducted  the  strangers  to  his  house,  which  was  situated  upon 
a  fine  plantation  beneath  the  shade  of  shaddock-trees.  The 
floor  was  laid  with  mats.  Bananas  and  cocoanuts  were  set 
before  them  to  eat,  and  a  beverage  was  prepared  for  them  to 
drink.  This  was  done  in  the  following  manner: — Pieces  of  a 
highly-scented  root  were  vigorously  masticated  by  the  natives ; 
the  chewed  product  was  then  deposited  in  a  large  wooden  bowl 
and  mixed  with  water.  As  soon  as  it  was  properly  strained, 
cups  were  made  of  green  leaves  which  held  nearly  half  a  pint, 
and  presented  to  the  English.  No  one  tasted  the  contents  but 
Cook, — the  manner  of  brewing  it  having  quenched  the  thirst  of 
every  one  else.  In  this  island,  as  well  as  in  the  neighboring 
one  of  Amsterdam,  the  people — both  men  and  women — were 
observed  to  have  lost  one  or  both  of  their  little  fingers.  Cook 
endeavored  in  vain  to  discover  the  reason  of  this  mutilation ;  but 
no  one  would  take  any  pains  to  inform  him. 

Cook  noticed  with  interest  the  sailing  canoes  of  these  islands. 
A  remarkable  feature  was  the  sail, — which,  being  suspended  by 
its  spar  from  a  forked  mast,  could  be  so  turned  that  the  prow 


CANOES  OF  THE  FRIENDLY  ISLANDS. 


of  the  boat  became  its  stern,  and  vice  versa.     They  sailed  with 
equal  rapidity  in  either  direction. 

On  his  return  to  New  Zealand  in  November,  Cook  found  that 
his  efforts  to  introduce  new  plants  and  animals  had  been  frus 
trated  by  the  natives.  One  of  the  sows  had  been  incapacitated 


MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

by  a  severe  cut  in  one  of  her  hind-legs ;  the  other  sow  and  the 
boar  had  been  sedulously  kept  separate.  The  two  goats  had 
been  killed  by  a  fellow  named  G-obiah,  and  the  potatoes  had 
been  dug  up.  Cook  here  had  the  satisfaction  of  beholding 
a  feast  of  human  flesh.  A  portion  of  the  body  of  a  young  man 
of  twenty  years  was  broiled  and  eaten  by  one  of  the  natives 
with  evident  relish.  Several  of  the  ship's  crew  were  rendered 
sick  by  the  disgusting  sight. 

The  Adventure  separated  from  her  consort  at  this  point ;  nor 
was  she  again  seen  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage.  Cook 
left  New  Zealand  early  in  December  for  a  last  attempt  in  the 
Southern  Ocean.  On  the  12th  he  saw  the  first  ice,  and  on  the 
23d,  in  latitude  67°,  found  his  passage  obstructed  by  such  quan 
tities  that  he  abandoned  all  hopes  of  proceeding  any  farther  in 
that  direction,  and  resolved  to  return  to  the  north.  As  he  was 
in  the  longitude  of  137°,  it  was  clear  that  there  must  be  a  vast 
space  of  sea  to  the  north  unexplored, — a  space  of  twenty-four 
degrees,  in  which  a  large  tract  of  land  might  possibly  lie. 

Late  in  February,  1774,  Cook  was  taken  ill  of  bilious  colic, 
and  for  some  days  his  life  was  despaired  of.  The  crew  suffered 
severely  from  scurvy.  On  the  llth  of  March,  they  fell  in  with 
Roggewein's  Easter  Island,  which  they  recognised  by  the  gigantic 
statues  which  lined  the  coast.  They  noticed  a  singular  dispro 
portion  in  the  number  of  the  males  and  females,  having  counted 
in  the  island  some  seven  hundred  men  and  only  thirty  women. 

Early  in  April,  Cook  arrived  among  the  Marquesas  Islands, 
discovered  in  1595  by  Mendana.  On  the  22d,  he  arrived  at 
Point  Venus,  in  Tahiti,  where  he  had  observed  the  transit  in 
1769,  and  of  which  the  longitude  was  known:  he  was  able, 
therefore,  to  determine  the  error  of  his  watch,  and  to  fix  anew 
its  rate  of  going.  The  natives,  and  especially  Otoo,  the  king, 
expressed  no  little  joy  at  seeing  him  again.  On  leaving  Ta 
hiti,  Cook  visited  in  detail  the  islands  named  Espiritu  Santo  by 
Quiros  and  Grandes  Cyclades  by  Bougainville.  As  he  deter- 


440  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

mined  their  extent  and  position,  he  took  the  liberty  of  changing 
their  name  to  that  of  the  New  Hebrides. 

Cook  now  discovered  the  large  island  of  New  Caledonia, 
whose  inhabitants  he  mentions  as  possessing  an  excellent  cha 
racter.  Subsequent  navigators,  however,  ascertained  them  to  be 
cannibals.  They  were  much  lower  in  the  scale  of  intelligence 
than  the  Tahitians.  Their  canoes  were  of  the  most  clumsy 


NEW  C  ALEDO  N  I  AN  DOUBLE  CANOE. 

description,  and  were  generally  propelled  in  pairs  by  poles. 
Cook  was  unable  to  obtain  provisions ;  and,  as  his  crew  were 
now  suffering  from  famine,  he  returned  to  New  Zealand,  where 
he  arrived  on  the  18th  of  October.  He  left  ao-ain  on  the  10th 

O 

of  November,  and  anchored  on  the  21st  of  December  in  Christ 
mas  Sound,  in  Terra  del  Fuego.  He  doubled  Cape  Horn,  dis 
covered  numerous  islands  of  little  importance,  and  finally  headed 
the  vessel  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  He  anchored  in  Table 
Bay  on  the  19th  of  March,  1775.  He  here  found  news  of  the 
Adventure,  which  had  already  passed  the  Cape  on  her  way 
home.  On  the  30th  of  July,  Cook  landed  at  Plymouth,  after 
an  absence  of  three  years  and  eighteen  days.  During  this  space 
of  time  he  had  lost  but  four  men,  and  only  one  of  these  four  by 
sickness.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London,  and  received  the 
Godfrey  Copley  gold  medal  in  testimony  of  the  appreciation  in 
which  his  efforts  to  preserve  the  health  of  his  crew  were  held  by 
the  Government.  He  was  now  forty-seven  years  of  age. 


A    SANDWICH    ISLAND     KING     PROCEEDING    TO     VISIT    COOK. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

COOK'S    THIRD     VOYAGE — THE    NORTHWEST     PASSAGE OMAI — HIS     RECEPTION   AT 

HOME — THE  CREW  FOREGO  THEIR  GROG DISCOVERY  OF  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS 

NOOTKA    SOUND THE    NATIVES CAPE    PRINCE    OF   WALES TWO    CONTINENTS 

IN    SIGHT ICY    CAPE RETURN    TO    THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS COOK  IS  DEIFIED 

INTERVIEW     WITH     TEREOBOO SUBSEQUENT      DIFFICULTIES A      SKIRMISH 

PITCHED    BATTLE     AND     DEATH    OF    COOK RECOVERY     OF     A     PORTION     OF      HIS 

REMAINS FUSERAL    CEREMONIES LIFE    AND    SERVICES    OF    COOK. 

COOK  might  justly  have  retired  at  this  period  to  private  life, 
to  enjoy  his  well-earned  reputation.  But  the  grand  question 
of  the  Northwest  Passage,  now  agitated  by  the  press  and  the 
public,  induced  him  once  more  to  tempt  the  perils  of  foreign 
adventure.  As  every  effort  to  force  a  passage  through  Baffin's 
or  Hudson's  Bay  had  signally  failed,  it  was  determined  to 
make  the  experiment  through  Behring's  Straits.  On  the  9th 

441 


442  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  February,  1776,  Cook  received  the  command  of  the  sloor>of- 
war  Resolution, — the  vessel  in  wliich  he  had  made  his  last  voyage, 
— the  Discovery,  of  three  hundred  tons,  heing  appointed  to 
accompany  the  expedition.  Both  ships  were  equipped  in  a 
manner  befitting  the  nature  of  their  mission :  they  were  well 
supplied  with  European  animals  and  plants,  which  they  were 
to  introduce  into  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  Omai,  the  young 
Tahitian  whom  Cook  had  brought  to  England,  was  placed  on 
board  the  Resolution,  as  it  was  not  likely  another  opportunity 
would  occur  of  sending  him  home.  He  left  London  with  regret ; 
but  the  consciousness  that  the  treasures  he  carried  with  him 
would  raise  him  to  an  enviable  rank  among  his  countrymen 
operated  by  degrees  to  alleviate  his  sorrow.  The  Resolution 
sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  12th  of  July,  and  was  followed,  on 
the  10th  of  August,  by  the  Discovery :  both  vessels  joined  com 
pany,  early  in  November,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

As  we  have  already  been  frequently  over  the  track  now  for 
the  third  time  traversed  by  Cook,  we  shall  merely  give  his  route, 
without  detailing  his  adventures,  which  did  not  materially  differ 
from  those  of  his  former  voyages.  He  arrived  at  Van  Diemen's 
Land  in  December,  and  passed  a  fortnight  of  the  month  of 
February,  1777,  in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  New  Zealand. 
Soon  after  he  discovered  an  island  which  the  natives  called 
Mangya :  he  noticed  that  the  inhabitants,  for  want  of  a  better 
pocket,  slit  the  lobe  of  their  ear  and  carried  their  knife  in  it. 
At  another  island  of  the  same  group,  Omai  extricated  himself 
and  a  party  of  English  from  a  position  of  great  danger  by 
giving  the  natives  an  exaggerated  account  of  the  instruments 
of  war  used  on  board  the  two  ships  anchored  in  the  offing. 
"These  instruments,"  he  said,  "were  so  huge  that  several 
people  could  sit  conveniently  within  them ;  and  one  of  them  was 
sufficient  to  crush  the  whole  island  at  a  shot."  Had  it  not  been 
for  this  formidable  story,  .Omai  thought  the  party  would  have 
been  detained  on  shore  all  night.  At  one  of  the  Society  Islands 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  443 

Cook  planted  a  pineapple  and  sowed  some  melon-seeds.  He 
was  somewhat  encouraged  to  hope  that  endeavors  of  this  kind 
would  not  be  fruitless,  for  upon  the  same  day  the  natives  served 
up  at  his  dinner  a  dish  of  turnips,  being  the  produce  of  the  seeds 
he  had  left  there  during  his  last  voyage. 

The  Resolution  soon  anchored  off  Tahiti,  and  Cook  noticed 
particularly  the  conduct  of  Omai,  now  about  to  be  restored  to  his 
home  and  his  friends.  A  chief  named  Ootu,  and  Omai's  brother- 
in-law,  came  on  board.  There  was  nothing  either  tender  or  strik 
ing  in  their  meeting.  On  the  contrary,  there  seemed  to  be  a 
perfect  indifference  on  both  sides,  till  Omai,  having  taken  his 
brother  down  into  the  cabin,  opened  the  drawer  where  he  kept 
his  red  feathers  and  gave  him  three  of  them.  Ootu,  who  would 
hardly  speak  to  Omai  before,  now  begged  that  they  might  be 
friends.  Omai  assented,  and  ratified  the  bargain  with  a  present 
of  feathers  ;  and  Ootu,  by  way  of  return,  sent  ashore  for  a  hog. 
But  it  was  evident  to  the  English  that  it  was  not  the  man,  but 
his  property,  they  were  in  love  with.  "Such,"  says  Cook,  "was 
Omai's  first  reception  among  his  countrymen.  Had  he  not 
shown  to  them  his  treasure  of  red  feathers,  I  question  much 
whether  they  would  have  bestowed  even  a  cocoanut  upon  him. 
I  own  I  never  expected  it  would  be  otherwise." 

The  important  news  of  the  arrival  of  red  feathers  was  con 
veyed  on  shore  by  Omai's  friends,  and  the  ships  were  surrounded 
early  the  next  morning  by  a  multitude  of  canoes  crowded  with 
people  bringing  hogs  and  fruit  to  market.  At  first  a  quantity 
of  feathers  not  greater  than  might  be  plucked  from  a  tomtit 
would  purchase  a  hog  weighing  fifty  pounds  ;  but  such  was  the 
quantity  of  this  precious  article  on  board  that  its  value  fell  five 
hundred  per  cent,  before  night.  Omai  was  now  visited  by  his 
sister ;  and,  much  to  the  credit  of  them  both,  their  meeting  was 
marked  by  expressions  of  the  tenderest  affection.  Cook  foresaw, 
however,  that  Omai  would  soon  be  despoiled  of  every  thing  he 
had  if  left  among  his  relatives :  so  it  was  determined  to  esta- 


444  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

blish  him  at  the  neighboring  island  of  Huaheine.  A  large  lot 
of  land  was  obtained  there  from  the  chief,  and  the  carpenters  of 
the  two  ships  set  about  building  him  a  house  fit  to  contain  the 
European  commodities  that  were  his  property.  Cook  told  the 
natives  that  if  Omai  were  disturbed  or  harassed  he  should 
upon  his  next  visit  make  them  feel  the  weight  of  his  resent 
ment.  Omai  took  possession  of  his  mansion  late  in  October, 
and  on  Sunday,  November  2,  bade  adieu  to  the  officers  of  the 
ship.  He  sustained  himself  in  this  trying  ordeal  till  he  came 
to  Cook,  and  then  gave  way  to  a  passionate  burst  of  tears. 
He  wept  abundantly  while  being  conveyed  on  shore.  "  It  was 
no  small  satisfaction  to  reflect,"  writes  Cook,  "that  we  had 
brought  him  back  safe  to  the  spot  from  which  he  was  taken. 
And  yet  such  is  the  strange  nature  of  human  affairs  that  it  is 
probable  we  left  him  in  a  less  desirable  situation  than  he  was 
in  before  his  connection  with  us.  He  had  tasted  the  sweets 
of  civilized  life,  and  must  now  become  more  miserable  from 
being  obliged  to  abandon  all  thoughts  of  continuing  them." 
The  career  and  destiny  of  Omai  were  perhaps  more  remarkable 
than  those  of  any  other  savage :  he  was  cherished  by  Cook, 
painted  by  Reynolds,  and  apostrophized  by  Cowper. 

During  the  stay  of  the  vessels  at  the  Society  Islands,  Cook  in 
duced  the  crews  to  give  up  their  grog  and  use  the  milk  of  cocoa- 
nuts  instead.  He  submitted  it  to  them  whether  it  would  not  be 
injudicious,  by  drinking  their  spirits  now,  to  run  the  risk  of 
having  none  left  in  a  cold  climate,  where  cordials  would  be  most 
needed,  and  whether  they  would  not  be  content  to  dispense 
with  their  grog  now,  when  they  had  so  excellent  a  liquor  as  that 
of  cocoanuts  to  substitute  in  its  place.  The  proposal  was 
unanimously  agreed  to,  and  the  grog  was  stopped  except  on 
Saturday  nights. 

Early  in  February,  1778,  Cook  made  a  most  important  dis 
covery, — that  of  the  archipelago  now  known  as  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  so  named  by  Cook  in  honor  of  the  Earl  of  Sandwich, 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  445 

First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.  He  visited  five  of  these  islands, 
one  of  which  was  Oahu.  He  found  a  remarkable  similarity  of 
manners  and  coincidence  of  language  with  those  of  the  Society 
Islands,  and  in  his  journal  asks  the  following  question : — "  How 
shall  we  account  for  this  nation  having  spread  itself  in  so  many 
detached  islands,  so  widely  separated  from  each  other,  in  every 
quarter  of  the  Pacific  Ocean?  We  find  it  from  New  Zealand 
in  the  south  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  north !  And,  in 
another  direction,  from  Easter  Island  to  the  New  Hebrides ! 
That  is,  over  an  extent  of  three  thousand  six  hundred  miles 
north  and  south,  and  five  thousand  miles  east  and  west !" 

From  the  Sandwich  Islands  Cook  sailed  to  the  northeast, 
and  on  the  7th  of  March  struck  the  coast  of  America,  upon  the 
shores  of  the  tract  named  New  Albion  by  Sir  Francis  Drake. 
The  skies  being  very  threatening,  he  gave  the  name  of  Cape 
Foulweather  to  a  promontory  forming  the  northern  extremity. 
Late  in  March  the  two  vessels  entered  a  broad  inlet,  to  which 
Cook  gave  the  name  of  King  George's  Sound ;  but  it  is  better 
known  now  by  its  original  name  of  Nootka  Sound.  Cook 
found  the  natives  friendly  and  willing  to  sell  and  buy.  They 
were  under  the  common  stature,  their  persons  being  full  and 
plump  without  corpulence,  their  faces  round,  with  high  promi 
nent  cheeks,  noses  flattened  at  the  base  with  wide  nostrils,  low 
forehead,  small  black  eyes,  thick  round  lips,  and  well-set  though 
not  remarkably  white  teeth.  The  color  of  their  skin,  when  not 
incrusted  with  paint  or  dirt,  was  nearly  as  white  as  that  of 
Europeans,  and  of  that  pale  effete  cast  which  distinguishes  the 
Southern  nations  of  Europe.  A  remarkable  sameness  charac 
terized  the  countenances  of  the  whole  nation,  the  expression  of 
all  being  dull  and  phlegmatic.  It  was  not  easy  to  distinguish 
the  women  from  the  men;  and  not  a  female  was  seen,  even 
among  those  in  the  prime  of  life,  who  had  the  least  pretensions 
to  being  called  handsome. 

Cook  gives  a  very  long  and  detailed  account  of  the  manners 


446 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


and  customs  of  these  people,  their  habitations,  weapons,  food, 
domestic  animals,  language,  and  religious  views,  and  concludes 
by  remarking  that  they  differ  so  essentially  in  every  respect 
from  the-  inhabitants  of  the  various  Pacific  islands  that  it  is 


HABITATIONS  IN  NOOTKA  SOUND. 


impossible  to  suppose  their  respective  progenitors  were  united 
in  the  same  tribe,  or  had  any  intimate  connection  when  they 
emigrated  from  their  original  settlements  into  the  places  where 
their  descendants  were  now  found. 

Cook  left  Nootka  Sound  on  the  26th  of  April,  and  early  in 
May  entered  a  deep  inlet,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Prince 
William's  Sound.  Proceeding  on  his  course,  as  he  supposed, 
toward  Behring's  Strait,  he  was  surprised  to  find  various  in 
dications  that  he  was  no  longer  in  the  sea,  but  ascending  a  wide 
and  rapidly-flowing  river.  He  was,  however,  encouraged  to 
proceed  by  finding  the  water  as  salt  as  that  of  the  ocean. 
Having  traced  the  stream  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles 
from  its  entrance,  without  seeing  the  least  appearance  of  its 
source,  and  despairing  of  finding  a  passage  through  it  to  the 
Northern  seas,  Cook  determined  to  return.  Mr.  King,  one  of 
the  officers,  was  sent  on  shore  to  display  the  flag  and  take 
possession  of  the  country  and  river  in  his  majesty's  name,  and 
to  bury  in  the  ground  a  bottle  containing  some  pieces  of  Eng 
lish  coin  of  the  year  1772.  The  vessels  left  the  river — after 
ward  named,  by  order  of  Lord  Sandwich,  Cook's  River — on  the 
5th  of  June. 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  447 

On  the  9th  of  August,  Cook  arrived  at  a  point  of  land,  in 
north  latitude  66°,  which  he  called  Cape  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  which  is  the  western  extremity  of  North  America.  Had 
he  sailed  directly  north  from  this  spot,  he  would  have  passed 
through  Behring's  Straits.  But  the  attraction  of  two  small 
islands  drew  him  to  the  westward,  and  by  nightfall  he  anchored 
in  a  bay  on  the  coast  of  Asia,  having  in  the  course  of  twenty- 
four  hours  been  in  sight  of  the  two  continents.  On-  the  12th, 
while  sailing  to  the  north,  both  continents  were  in  sight  at  the 
same  moment.  On  the  17th,  a  brightness  was  perceived  in  the 
northern  horizon,  like  that  reflected  from  ice,  commonly  called 
the  blink.  But  it  was  thought  very  improbable  that  they  should 
meet  with  ice  so  soon.  Still,  the  sharpness  of  the  air  and 
gloominess  of  the  weather  seemed  to  indicate  some  sudden 
change.  The  sight  of  a  large  field  of  ice  soon  left  no  doubt  as 
to  the  cause  of  the  brightness  of  the  horizon.  At  half-past  two, 
being  in  latitude  71°  and  in  twenty-two  fathoms  water,  Cook 
found  himself  close  to  the  edge  of  the  ice,  which  was  as  com 
pact  as  a  wall  and  twelve  feet  out  of  water.  It  extended  to 
the  north  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  A  point  of  land  upon 
the  American  coast  obtained  the  name  of  Icy  Cape. 

The  season  was  now  so  far  advanced  that  Cook  abandoned 
all  attempts  to  find  a  passage  through  to  the  Atlantic  this  year, 
and  directed  his  attention  to  the  subject  of  winter  quarters. 
Discovering  a  deep  inlet  upon  the  American  side,  he  named  it 
Norton's  Sound,  in  honor  of  Sir  Fletcher  Norton,  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Commons.  At  Oonalaska,  an  island  some  distance  to 
the  south,  he  fell  in  with  three  Russian  carriers,  who  had  some 
store-houses  and  a  sloop  of  thirty  tons'  burden.  They  appeared 
to  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  attempts  which  had  been 
made  by  their  countrymen,  Kamschatka,  Behring,  and  others,  to 
navigate  the  Frozen  Ocean. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  Cook  left  Oonalaska  for  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  intending  to  spend  the  winter  months  there,  and  then  to 


448 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 


MAN     OF     THE     SANDWICH     ISLANDS. 


direct  his  course  to  Kamschatka,  arriving  there  by  the  middle  of 
May  in  the  ensuing  year.  On  the  26th  of  November,  the  two 
ships  anchored  at  the  archipelago  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  and 
discovered  several  new  members  of  the  group.  At  Owhyhee, 
Cook  found  the  natives  more  free  from  reserve  and  suspicion 
than  any  other  tribe  he  had  met ;  nor  did  they  even  once 
attempt  a  fraud  or  a  theft.  Cook's  confidence,  already  great, 
was  still  further  augmented  by  a  singular,  if  not  grotesque, 
incident. 

The  priests  of  the  island  resolved  to  deify  the  captain,  under 
the  name  of  Orono.  One  evening,  as  he  landed  upon  the  beach, 
he  was  received  by  four  men,  who  immediately  swathed  him  in 
red  cloth,  and  then  conducted  him  to  a  sort  of  sacrificial  altar, 
where,  by  means  of  an  indescribable  ceremony,  consisting  of 
rapid  speeches,  offerings  of  putrid  hogs  and  sugarcanes,  invo- 


MAX    UPON   THE   SEA. 


449 


WOMAN     OF     THE     SANDWICH     ISLANDS. 


cations,  processions,  chants,  and  prostrations,  they  conferred 
upon  him  a  celestial  character  and  the  right  to  claim  adoration. 
At  the  conclusion,  a  priest  named  Kaireekeea  took  part  of  the 
kernel  of  a  cocoanut,  which  he  chewed,  and  with  which  he  then 
rubbed  the  captain's  face,  head,  hands,  arms,  and  shoulders. 
Ever  after  this,  when  Cook  went  ashore,  a  priest  preceded 
him,  shouting  that  Orono  was  walking  the  earth,  and  calling 
upon  the  people  to  humble  themselves  before  him.  Presents 
of  pigs,  cocoanuts,  and  bread-fruit  were  constantly  made  to  him, 
and  an  incessant  supply  of  vegetables  sent  to  his  two  ships :  no 
return  was  ever  demanded  or  even  hinted  at.  The  offerings 
seemed  to  be  made  in  discharge  of  a  religious  duty,  and  had 
much  the  nature  of  tribute.  "When  Cook  inquired  at  whose 
charge  all  this  munificence  was  displayed,  he  was  told  that  the 

expense  was  borne  by  a  great  man,  named  Kaoo,  the  chief  of 

29 


450  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

the  priests,  and  grandfather  of  Kaireekeea :  this  Kaoo  was  now 
absent,  attending  Tereoboo,  the  king  of  the  island. 

The  king,  upon  his  return,  set  out  from  the  village  in  a  large 
canoe,  followed  by  two  others,  and  paddled  toward  the  ships  in 
great  state.  Tereoboo  gave  Cook  a  fan,  in  return  for  which 
Cook  gave  Tereoboo  a  clean  shirt.  Heaps  of  sugarcane  and 
bread-fruit  were  then  given  to  the  ship's  crew,  and  the  cere 
monies  were  concluded  by  an  exchange  of  names  between  the 
captain  and  the  king, — the  strongest  pledge  of  friendship  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Pacific  islands. 

It  was  not  long  before  Tereoboo  and  his  chiefs  became  very 
anxious  that  the  English  should  bid  them  adieu.  They  ima 
gined  the  strangers  to  have  come  from  some  country  where 
provisions  had  failed,  and  that  their  visit  to  their  island  was 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  filling  their  stomachs.  "  It  was 
ridiculous  enough  to  see  them  stroke  the  sides  and  pat  the 
bellies  of  our  sailors,"  says  King,  the  continuator  of  Cook's 
journal,  "  and  telling  them  that  it  was  time  for  them  to  go, 
but  that  if  they  would  come  again  the  next  bread-fruit  season 
they  should  be  better  able  to  supply  their  wants.  We  had 
now  been  sixteen  days  in  the  bay ;  and,  considering  our  enor 
mous  consumption  of  hogs  and  vegetables,  it  need  not  be 
wondered  that  they  should  wish  to  see  us  take  our  leave." 
When  Tereoboo  learned  that  the  ships  were  to  sail  on  the  next 
day  but  one,  he  ordered  a  proclamation  to  be  made  through  the 
villages,  requiring  the  people  to  bring  in  presents  to  Orono,  who 
was  soon  to  take  his  departure. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1779,  the  vessels  unmoored  and 
sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  after  having  received  on  board  a 
present  of  vegetables  and  live  stock  which  far  exceeded  any 
that  had  been  made  them  either  at  the  Friendly  or  Society 
Islands.  The  weather  being,  however,  extremely  unfavorable, 
they  were  compelled  to  return  for  shelter,  and  on  the  llth 
dropped  anchor  in  nearly  the  same  spot  as  before.  The  fore- 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  451 

mast  was  found  to  be  much  damaged,  the  heel  being  exceedingly 
rotten,  having  a  large  hole  up  the  middle  of  it  capable  of  hold 
ing  four  or  five  cocoanuts.  The  reception  of  the  ships  was  very 
different  from  what  it  had  been  on  their  first  arrival :  there 
were  no  shouts,  no  bustle,  no  confusion.  The  bay  seemed  de 
serted,  though  from  time  to  time  a  solitary  canoe  stole  stealthily 
along  the  shore. 

Toward  the  evening  of  the  13th,  a  theft  committed  by  a  party 
of  the  islanders  on  board  the  Discovery  gave  rise  to  a  disturbance 
of  a  very  serious  nature.  Pareea,  a  personage  of  some  author 
ity,  was  accused  of  the  theft,  and  a  scuffle  ensued,  in  which 


Pareea  was  knocked  down  by  a  violent  blow  on  the  head  with 
an  oar.  The  natives  immediately  attacked  the  crew  of  the 
pinnace  with  a  furious  shower  of  stones  and  other  missiles,  and 
forced  them  to  swim  off  with  great  precipitation  to  a  rock  at 
some  distance  from  the  shore.  The  pinnace  was  immediately 
ransacked  by  the  islanders,  and  would  have  been  demolished, 
but  for  the  interposition  of  Pareea,  who,  upon  the  recognition  of 
his  innocence,  joined  noses  with  the  officers  and  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  the  blow  he  had  received. 

"When  Captain  Cook  heard  of  what  had  happened,  he  ex 
pressed  some  anxiety  f  and  said  that  it  would  not  do  to  allow 
the  islanders  to  imagine  that  they  had  gained  an  advantage. 
It  was  too  late  to  take  any  steps  that  evening,  however.  A 
double  guard  was  posted  at  the  observatory,  and  at  midnight 


452  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

one  of  the  sentinels,  observing  five  savages  creeping  toward  him, 
fired  over  their  heads  and  put  them  to  flight.  The  cutter  of  the 
Discovery  was  stolen,  toward  morning,  from  the  buoy  where  it 
was  moored.  At  daylight,  Cook  loaded  his  double-barrelled 
gun  and  ordered  the  marines  to  prepare  for  action.  It  had 
been  his  practice,  when  any  thing  of  consequence  was  lost,  to 
get  the  king  or  several  of  the  principal  men  on  board,  and  to 
keep  them  as  hostages  till  it  was  restored.  His  purpose  was  to 
pursue  the  same  plan  now.  He  gave  orders  to  seize  and  stop 
all  canoes  that  should  attempt  to  leave  the  bay.  The  boats  of 
both  ships,  well  manned  and  armed,  were  therefore  stationed 
across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  Cook  went  ashore  in  the 
pinnace,  obtained  an  interview  with  the  king,  satisfied  himself 
that  he  was  in  no  wise  privy  to  the  theft  committed,  and  invited 
him  to  return  in  the  boat  and  spend  the  day  on  board  the 
Resolution.  Tereoboo  readily  consented,  and,  having  placed 
his  two  sons  in  the  pinnace,  was  on  the  point  of  following  them, 
when  an  elderly  woman,  the  mother  of  the  boys,  and  a  younger 
woman,  the  king's  favorite  wife,  besought  him  with  tears  and 
entreaties  not  to  go  on  board.  Two  chiefs  laid  hold  of  him, 
insisting  that  he  should  go  no  farther.  The  natives  now  col 
lected  in  prodigious  numbers  and  began  to  throng  around 
Captain  Cook  and  their  king.  Cook,  finding  that  the  alarm 
had  spread  too  generally,  and  that  it  was  in  vain  to  think  of 
kidnapping  the  king  without  bloodshed,  at  last  gave  up  the 
point. 

Thus  far,  the  person  and  life  of  Cook  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  in  danger.  An  accident  now  happened  which  gave  a  fatal 
turn  to  the  affair.  The  ships'  boats,  in  firing  at  canoes  attempt 
ing  to  escape,  had  unfortunately  killed  a  chief  of  the  first  rank. 
The  news  of  his  death  arrived  just  at  the  moment  when  Cook, 
after  leaving  the  king,  was  walking  slowly  toward  the  shore. 
It  caused  an  immediate  and  violent  ferment :  the  women  and 
children  were  at  once  sent  off:  the  warriors  put  on  their  breast- 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  453 

mats  and  armed  themselves  with  spears  and  stones.  One  of  the 
natives  went  up  to  Cook,  flourishing  a  long  iron  spike  by  way 
of  defiance,  and  threatening  him  with  a  large  stone.  Cook 
ordered  him  to  desist,  but,  as  the  man  persisted  in  his  insolence, 
was  at  length  provoked  to  fire  a  load  of  small  shot.  As  the 
shot  did  not  penetrate  the  matting,  the  natives  were  encouraged, 
by  seeing  the  discharge  to  be  harmless,  to  further  aggression. 
Several  stones  were  thrown  at  the  marines:  their  lieutenant, 
Mr.  Phillips,  narrowly  escaped  being  stabbed  by  knocking  down 
the  assailant  with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket.  Cook  now  fired 
his  second  barrel,  loaded  with  ball,  and  killed  one  of  the  fore 
most  of  the  natives.  A  general  attack  with  stones  and  a 
discharge  of  musketry  immediately  followed.  The  islanders, 
contrary  to  the  expectations  of  the  English,  stood  the  fire  with 
great  firmness,  and,  before  the  marines  had  time  to  reload, 
broke  in  upon  them  with  demoniacal  shouts.  Four  marines 
were  instantly  killed ;  three  others  were  dangerously  wounded ; 
Phillips  received  a  stab  between  the  shoulders,  but,  having  for 
tunately  reserved  his  fire,  shot  the  man  who  had  wounded  him 
just  as  he  was  going  to  repeat  the  blow. 

The  last  time  that  Cook  was  seen  distinctly,  he  was  standing 
at  the  water's  edge,  calling  out  to  the  people  in  the  boats  to 
cease  firing.  It  is  supposed  that  he  was  desirous  of  stopping 
further  bloodshed,  and  wished  the  example  of  desisting  to  proceed 
from  his  side.  His  humanity  proved  fatal  to  him ;  and  he  lost 
his  life  in  attempting  to  save  the  lives  of  others.  It  was 
noticed  that  while  he  faced  the,  natives  none  of  them  offered 
him  any  violence,  deterred,  perhaps,  by  the  sacred  character 
he  bore  as  an  Orono ;  but  the  moment  he  turned  round  to  give 
his  orders  to  the  men  in  the  boats,  he  was  stabbed  in  the  back 
and  fell,  face  foremost,  into  the  water.  The  islanders  set  up  a 
deafening  yell  and  dragged  his  body  on  shore,  where  the  dagger 
with  which  he  had  been  killed  was  eagerly  snatched  by  the 


454  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

savages  from  each  others'  hands,  each  one  manifesting  a  brutal 
eagerness  to  have  a  share  in  his  destruction. 

"  Thus  fell,"  writes  King,  "  our  great  and  excellent  com 
mander.  After  a  life  of  so  much  distinguished  and  successful 
enterprise,  his  death,  as  regards  himself,  cannot  be  reckoned 
premature,  since  he  lived  to  finish  the  work  for  which  he  seemed 
designed,  and  was  rather  removed  from  the  enjoyment  than 
cut  off  from  the  acquisition  of  glory.  How  sincerely  his  loss 
was  felt  and  lamented  by  those  who  had  so  long  found  their 
general  security  in  his  skill  and  conduct,  and  every  consolation 
in  their  hardships  in  his  tenderness  and  humanity,  it  is  neither 
necessary  nor  possible  for  me  to  describe :  much  less  shall  I 
attempt  to  paint  the  horror  with  which  we  were  struck,  and  the 
universal  dejection  and  dismay  which  followed  so  dreadful  and 
unexpected  a  calamity/' 

When  the  consternation  consequent  upon  the  loss  of  their  com 
mander  had  in  some  measure  subsided,  Clarke,  the  captain  of 
the  Discovery,  assumed  the  chief  command  of  the  expedition. 
The  ships  were  in  such  a  bad  condition,  and  ihe  discipline 
became  so  relaxed  upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  master-mind, 
that  it  was  decided  to  employ  pacific  measures,  rather  than  a 
display  of  vigorous  resentment,  to  obtain  the  restitution  of  the 
remains  of  Cook  and  of  the  four  massacred  soldiers.  The 
moderation  of  the  English  produced  no  effect,  however,  the 
natives  using  the  bodies  of  the  marines  in  sacrificial  burnt- 
offerings  to  their  divinities.  As  they  considered  that  of  Cook 
as  of  a  higher  order,  they  cu,t  it  carefully  in  pieces,  sending 
bits  of  it  to  different  parts  of  the  island.  Upon  the  evening  of 
the  15th,  two  priests  brought  clandestinely  to  the  ship  the 
portion  they  had  received  for  religious  purposes, — flesh  without 
bone,  and  weighing  about  nine  pounds.  They  said  that  this 
was  all  that  remained  of  the  body,  the  rest  having  been  cut  to 
pieces  and  burned :  the  head,  however,  and  all  the  bones, 


MAN   UPON    THE    SEA.  455 

except  what  belonged  to  the  trunk,  were  in  the  possession  of 
Tereoboo 

The  natives  on  shore  passed  the  night  in  feasts  and  re 
joicings,  seeking  evidently  to  animate  and  inflame  their  courage 
previous  to  the  expected  collision.  The  next  day,  about  noon, 
finding  the  English  persist  in  their  inactivity,  great  bodies  of 
them,  blowing  their  conch-shells  and  strutting  about  upon  the 
shore  in  a  blustering  and  defiant  manner,  marched  off  over  the 
hills  and  never  appeared  again.  Those  who  remained  com 
pensated  for  the  paucity  of  their  numbers  by  the  insolence  of 
their  conduct.  One  man  came  within  musket-shot  of  the 
Resolution  and  waved  Cook's  hat  over  his  head,  his  country 
men  upon  the  water's  edge  exulting  in  his  taunts  and  jeers. 
The  watering-party  sent  upon  their  daily  duty  were  annoyed 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  only  obtained  one  cask  of  water  in 
an  afternoon.  An  attack  upon  the  village  was  in  consequence 
decided  upon,  and  was  executed  by  the  marines  in  a  vigorous 
and  effective  manner.  A  sanguinary  revenge  was  taken  for 
the  death  of  their  commander  :  many  of  the  islanders  were 
slain,  and  their  huts  were  burned  to  the  ground.  This  severe 
lesson  was  necessary,  for  the  natives  were  strongly  of  opinion 
that  the  English  tolerated  their  provocations  because  they 
were  unable  to  suppress  them,  and  not  from  motives  of  %hu- 
manity.  At  last,  a  chief  named  Eappo,  a  man  of  the  very 
first  consequence,  came  with  presents  from  Tereoboo  to  sue  for 
peace.  The  presents  were  received,  but  answer  was  returned 
that,  until  the  remains  of  Captain  Cook  were  restored,  no  peace 
would  be  granted. 

On  Saturday,  the  20th,  a  long  procession  was  seen  to  descend 
the  hill  toward  the  beach.  Each  man  carried  a  sugarcane  or 
two  upon  his  shoulders,  with  bread-fruit  and  plantains  in  his 
hand.  They  were  preceded  by  two  drummers,  who  planted  a 
staff  with  a  white  flag  upon  it  by  the  water's  edge  and  drummed 
vigorously,  while  the  rest  advanced  one  by  one  and  deposited 


456  MAX    UPON   THE   SEA. 

their  presents  upon  the  ground.  Eappo,  in  a  long  feathered 
cloak,  and  with  a  bearing  of  deep  solemnity,  mounted  upon  a 
rock  and  made  signs  for  a  boat.  Captain  Clarke  went  ashore 
in  the  pinnace,  ordering  Lieutenant  King  to  attend  him  in 
the  cutter.  Eappo  went  into  the  pinnace  and  delivered  to  the 
captain  a  quantity  of  bones  wrapped  up  in  a  large  quantity  of 
fine  new  cloth  and  covered  with  a  spotted  cloak  of  black  and 
white  feathers.  The  bundle  contained  the  hands  of  the  unfor 
tunate  commander  entire ;  the  skull,  deprived  of  the  scalp  and 
the  bones  that  form  the  face ;  the  scalp,  detached,  with  the  hair 
cut  short,  and  the  ears  adhering  to  it ;  the  bones  of  both  arms, 
the  thigh  and  leg  bones,  but  without  the  feet.  The  whole  bore 
evident  marks  of  having  been  in  the  fire,  with  the  exception  of 
the  hands,  the  flesh  of  which  was  left  upon  them, — with  several 
large  gashes  crammed  with  salt,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  decomposition.  The  lower  jaw  and  feet,  which  were 
wanting,  had  been  seized  by  different  chiefs,  Eappo  said,  and 
Tereoboo  was  using  every  means  to  recover  them. 

The  next  morning  Eappo  came  on  board,  bringing  with  him 
the  missing  bones,  together  with  the  barrels  of  Cook's  gun,  his 
shoes,  and  several  other  trifles  that  had  belonged  to  him.  Eappo 
was  dismissed  with  orders  to  "taboo"  the  bay — that  is,  to  place 
it  under  interdict — during  the  performance  of  the  funeral  cere 
monies.  This  was  done :  not  a  canoe  ventured  out  upon  the 
water  during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  silence  and  solemnity  of  the  scene,  the  bones  were  placed 
in  a  coffin  and  the  service  of  the  Church  of  England  read  over 
them.  They  were  then  committed  to  the  deep,  beneath  the 
booming  thunders  of  the  artillery  of  both  vessels.  "What  our 
feelings  were  on  this  occasion,"  says  King,  "I  leave  the  world 
to  conceive :  those  who  were  present  know  that  it  is  not  in 
my  power  to  express  them." 

No  one  man  ever  contributed  more  to  any  science  than  did 
Captain  Cook  to  that  of  geography.  "We  have  seen  that  on  his 


MAN   UPON    THE   SEA.  457 

first  voyage  he  discovered  the  Society  Islands,  determined  the 
insular  character  of  New  Zealand,  discovered  the  straits  which 
cut  that  island  in  halves,  and  made  a  complete  survey  of  both 
portions.  He  explored  the  eastern  coast  of  New  Holland,  gave 
Botany  Bay  its  name,  and  surveyed  an  extent  of  upward  of  two 
thousand  miles.  In  his  second  voyage  he  resolved  the  problem 
of  a  Southern  continent,  having  traversed  that  hemisphere  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  leave  no  probability  of  its  existence,  unless 
near  the  Pole,  out  of  the  reach  of  navigation  and  beyond  the 
habitable  limits  of  the  globe.  He  discovered  New  Caledonia, 
the  largest  island  in  the  South  Pacific  except  New  Zealand ; 
he  settled  the  situations  of  numerous  old  discoveries,  rectifying 
their  longitude  and  remodelling  all  the  charts.  On  his  third 
voyage  he  discovered,  to  the  north  of  the  equator,  the  group 
called  the  Sandwich  Islands, — a  discovery  which,  all  things 
considered,  and  from  their  situation  and  products,  may  be  said 
to  be  the  most  important  acquisition  ever  made  in  the  Pa 
cific.  He  explored  what  had  hitherto  remained  unknown  of  the 
western  coast  of  America, — an  extent  of  three  thousand  five 
hundred  miles, — and  ascertained  the  proximity  of  the  two  great 
continents  of  Asia  and  America.  "In  short,"  says  King,  "if 
\ve  except  the  Sea  of  Amur,  and  the  Japanese  Archipelago, 
which  still  remain  imperfectly  known  to  the  Europeans,  he  has 
completed  the  hydrography  of  the  habitable  globe."  After 
Christopher  Columbus,  Cook  acquired,  and  now,  at  a  distance 
of  nearly  a  century,  still  enjoys,  the  highest  degree  of  popularity 
which  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  a  navigator  and  discoverer. 


s. 


LA  ptno  u  SE. 


CHAPTER  XL VI. 

LOUIS  XVI.  AND   THE    SCIENCE    OF   NAVIGATION — VOYAGE  OF  LAP^ROUSE — ARRIVAL 

AT  EASTEB  ISLAND ADDRESS    OP  THE    NATIVES OWHYHEE TRADE   AT   MOWEE 

SURVEY      OF     THE     AMERICAN     COAST A     REMARKABLE     INLET DISTRESSING 

CALAMITY SOJOURN  AT  MONTEREY RUN  ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC THE  JAPANESE 

WATERS ARRIVAL     AT     PETROPAULOWSKI AFFRAY    AT     NAVIGATORS'     ISLES 

LAP£ROUSE  ARRIVES  AT  BOTANY  BAY,  AND  is  NEVER  SEEN  AGAIN,  ALIVE  OR 

DEAD VOYAGES  MADE  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIM D'ENTRECASTEAUX DILLON 

D'URVILLK — DISCOVERY  OF  NUMEROUS  RELICS  OF  THE  SHIPS  AT  MANICOLO — 
THEORY  OF  THE  FATE   OF   LAP^ROUSE ERECTION   OF  A  MONUMENT  TO   HIS 

MEMORY. 

Louis  XVI.,  King  of  France,  became  at  this  period  deeply 
interested  in  the  study  of  the  science  of  geography  and  naviga 
tion.  Upon  the  perusal  of  the  voyages,  discoveries,  and  services 

of  Cook,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  admitting  the  French  nation 
458 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  459 

to  a  share  in  the  glory  which  the  English  were  reaping  from 
maritime  adventure  and  exploration.  He  drew  up  a  plan  of 
campaign  with  his  own  hand,  ordered  the  two  frigates  Boussole 
and  Astrolabe  to  be  prepared  for  sea,  and  gave  the  command 
of  the  expedition  to  Jean-Francois  Galaup  de  la  Perouse, — 
better  known  as  LapeYouse.  The  vessels  were  supplied  with 
every  accessory  of  which  they  could  possibly  have  need.  The 
instructions  and  recommendations  received  from  the  Academy 
of  Sciences  fill  a  quarto  volume  of  four  hundred  pages.  The 
fleet  sailed  from  Brest  on  the  1st  of  August,  1785,  and  arrived 
at  Conception,  in  Chili,  late  in  February,  1786. 

After  a  short  stay  here,  the  two  frigates  again  put  to  sea, 
and,  early  in  April,  anchored  in  Cook's  Bay,  in  Easter  Island. 
Here  the  two  commanders  landed,  accompanied  by  about  seventy 
persons,  twelve  of  whom  were  marines  armed  to  the  teeth. 
Five  hundred  Indians  awaited  them  at  the  shore,  the  greater 
part  of  them  naked,  painted,  and  tattooed,  others  wearing 
pendent  bunches  of  odoriferous  herbs  about  their  loins,  and 
others  still  being  covered  with  pieces  of  white  and  yellow  cloth. 
None  of  them  were  armed,  and,  as  the  boats  touched  the  land, 
they  advanced  with  the  utmost  alacrity  to  aid  the  strangers  in 
their  disembarkation.  The  latter  marked  out  a  circular  space, 
where  they  set  up  a  tent,  and  enjoined  it  strongly  upon  the 
islanders  not  to  intrude  upon  this  enclosure.  The  number  of 
the  natives  had  now  increased  to  eight  hundred,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  whom  were  women.  While  the  latter  would  seek, 
by  caresses  and  agreeable  pantomime,  to  withdraw  the  attention 
of  the  Frenchmen  from  passing  events,  the  men  would  slyly 
pick  their  pockets.  Innumerable  handkerchiefs  were  pilfered 
in  this  way;  and  the  thieves,  emboldened  by  success,  at  last 
seized  their  caps  from  their  heads  and  rushed  off  with  them. 
It  was  noticed  that  the  chiefs  were  the  most  adroit  and  success 
ful  plunderers,  and  that  though,  for  appearance'  sake,  they 
sometimes  ran  after  an  offender,  promising  to  bring  him  back, 


460  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

it  was  evident  that  they  were  running  as  slowly  as  they  could, 
and  that  their  object  was  rather  to  facilitate  than  to  prevent 
their  escape.  Laperouse  was  not  saved  from  spoliation  by  his 
rank :  a  polite  savage,  having  assisted  him  over  an  obstruction 
in  the  path,  removed  his  chapeau  and  fled  with  the  utmost 
rapidity.  On  re-embarking  to  return  to  the  ships,  only  three 
persons  had  handkerchiefs,  and  only  two  had  caps.  Lape'rouse 
stayed  but  a  day  on  this  island,  having  nothing  to  gain  and 
every  thing  to  lose.  There  was  no  fresh  water  to  be  found,  the 
natives  drinking  sea-water,  like  the  albatrosses  of  Cape  Horn. 
In  return  for  the  hospitality  with  which  they  had  been  received, 
Lape'rouse  caused  several  fertile  spots  to  be  sown  with  beets, 
cabbages,  wheat,  carrots,  and  squashes,  and  even  with  orange, 
lemon,  and  cotton  seeds.  "In  short,"  says  Lape'rouse,  "we 
loaded  them  with  presents,  overwhelmed  with  caresses  the 
young  and  children  at  the  breast;  we  sowed  their  fields  with 
useful  grains ;  we  left  kids,  sheep,  and  hogs  to  multiply  upon 
their  island ;  we  asked  nothing  in  exchange ;  and  yet  they 
robbed  us  of  our  hats  and  handkerchiefs,  and  threw  stones  at 
us  when  we  left."  The  following  reflection,  which  concludes 
Lape'rouse's  account  of  Easter  Island,  could  only  have  pro 
ceeded  from  a  Frenchman: — "I  decided  to  depart  during  the 
night,  flattering  myself  that  when,  upon  the  return  of  day,  they 
should  find  our  vessels  gone,  they  would  attribute  our  departure 
to  our  just  resentment  at  their  conduct,  and  that  this  conclusion 
might  render  them  better  members  of  society." 

Lape'rouse  now  sailed  to  the  northeast,  intending  to  touch  at 
the  Sandwich  Islands, — a  distance  of  five  thousand  miles.  He 
hoped  to  make  some  discovery  during  this  long  stretch,  and 
placed  sailors  in  the  tops,  animated  by  the  promise  of  a  prize 
to  discover  as  many  islands  as  possible.  In  the  furtherance  of 
this  design,  the  two  frigates  sailed  ten  miles  apart, — by  which 
the  visible  horizon  was  considerably  extended.  Lape'rouse  was 
destined,  however,  to  owe  his  celebrity  to  his  misfortunes  and 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  461 

not  to  his  discoveries:  he  arrived,  on  the  28th  of  May,  at 
Owhyhee,  without  once  making  land.  "The  aspect  of  the 
island,"  he  writes,  "was  charming.  But  the  sea  beat  with  such 
violence  upon  the  coast,  that,  like  Tantalus,  we  could  only  long 
for  and  devour  with  our  eyes  that  which  it  was  impossible  for 
us  to  reach."  This  prospect  was  aggravated  by  the  sight  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  canoes  laden  with  pigs  and  fruit  which  put 
out  from  the  shore :  forty  of  them  were  capsized  in  attempting 
to  come  alongside  while  the  frigates  were  under  full  sail.  The 
water  was  full  of  swimming  savages,  struggling  pigs,  and  tempt 
ing  cocoanuts  ;  but  the  necessity  of  making  an  anchorage  before 
nightfall  compelled  them  to  seek  another  portion  of  the  island. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  Lape'rouse  landed  upon  the  island  of 
Mowee,  where  he  found  the  savages  mild,  polite,  and  com 
mercially  inclined.  Exchanges  of  pigs  and  medals  were  made 
with  great  success.  Lape'rouse  abstained  from  taking  possession 
of  the  island  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France, — Cook  not 
having  visited  Mowee, — inasmuch  as  he  considered  European 
usages  in  this  respect  extremely  ridiculous.  "  Philosophers 
must  often  have  wept,"  he  writes,  "at  seeing  men,  simply  be 
cause  they  have  cannon  and  bayonets,  count  sixty  thousand  of 
their  fellow-creatures  as  nothing,  and  look  upon  a  land  which 
its  inhabitants  have  moistened  with  their  sweat  and  fertilized 
with  the  bones  of  their  ancestors  for  centuries  as  an  object  of 
legitimate  conquest." 

On  the  23d  of  June,  in  latitude  60°  north,  Lape'rouse  struck 
the  American  coast :  he  recognised  at  once  Behring's  Mount 
St.  Elias,  whose  summit  pierced  the  clouds.  From  this  point 
southward  as  far  as  Monterey,  in  Mexico,  lay  an  extent  of 
coast  wjiich  Cook  had  seen  but  not  surveyed.  The  exploration 
of  this  coast  was  a  work  essential  to  the  interests  of  navigation 
and  of  commerce;  and,  though  the  season  only  allowed  him 
three  months,  he  undertook  and  executed  it  in  a  manner  credit 
able  to  the  navy  of  France.  He  discovered  a  harbor  that  had 


462  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

escaped  the  notice  of  preceding  navigators.  This  harbor  or  bay 
seems  to  have  been  a  remarkable  place.  The  water  is  unfathom 
able,  and  is  surrounded  by  precipices  which  rise  perpendicularly 
from  the  water's  edge  into  the  regions  of  eternal  snow.  Not  a 
blade  of  grass,  not  a  green  leaf,  grows  in  this  desolate  and 
sterile  spot.  No  breeze  blows  upon  the  surface  of  the  bay :  its 
tranquillity  is  never  troubled  except  by  the  fall  of  enormous 
masses  of  ice  from  numerous  overhanging  peaks.  The  air  is 
so  still  and  the  silence  so  profound  that  the  noise  made  by  a 
bird  in  laying  an  egg  in  the  hollow  of  a  rock  is  distinctly  heard 
at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half.  To  this  wonderful  bay 
Lape'rouse  gave  the  name  of  Frenchport. 

A  painful  accident  occurred  as  the  vessels,  after  a  somewhat 
prolonged  stay,  were  about  departing  from  the  spot.  Three 
boats,  manned  by  twenty-seven  men  and  officers,  were  sent  to 
make  soundings  in  the  bay,  in  order  to  complete  the  chart  of 
the  survey.  They  had  strict  orders  to  avoid  a  certain  dan 
gerous  current,  but  became  involved  in  it  unawares.  Two 
boats'  crews  perished,  consisting  of  twenty-one  men,  the  greater 
part  of  them  under  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Two  brothers,  by 
the  name  of  Laborde,  whom  their  superior  officers  never  sepa 
rated,  but  always  sent  together  on  missions  of  peril,  were  among 
the  victims  of  the  disaster.  A  monument  was  erected  to  their 
memory,  and  a  record  buried  in  a  bottle  beneath  it.  The 
inscription  was  thus  conceived: — 

"At  the  entrance  of  this  bay  twenty-one  brave  sailors  perish'd: 
Whoever  you  may  be,  mingle  your  tears  with  ours." 

On  the  13th  of  September,  Lape'rouse  arrived  at  Monterey, 
after  a  cursory  examination  of  the  coast,  determining  it«  direc 
tions,  but  without  exploring  its  sinuosities  and  inlets.  The 
Spanish  commander  of  the  fort  and  of  the  two  Californias 
had  received  orders  from  Mexico  to  extend  all  possible  hospi 
tality  to  the  adventurers.  He  executed  his  instructions  to  the 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  463 

letter,  sending  immense  quantities  of  fresh  beef,  eggs,  milk, 
vegetables,  and  poultry  on  board,  and  then  declining  to  hand  in 
the  bill.  On  the  24th,  every  thing  being  in  readiness,  the  ves 
sels  started  upon  their  route  across  the  Pacific,  the  intention  of 
Laperouse  being  to  make  for  Macao,  on  the  Chinese  coast.  He 
hoped  on  his  way  to  make  many  discoveries  of  islands  upon  this 
unknown  sea, — the  Spaniards,  in  their  single  beaten  track  from 
Acapulco  to  Manilla,  never  varying  more  than  thirty  miles  to 
the  north  or  south  of  their  usual  and  average  latitude.  He  also 
hoped  not  to  find,  in  the  longitude  marked  against  it,  a  very 
doubtful  island  named  Nostra  Seiiora  de  la  Gorta,  that  he  might 
erase  it  from  the  charts.  This  he  was  unable  to  do,  for  the 
winds  did  not  allow  him  to  pass  within  a  hurfdred  miles  of  its 
supposed  position.  When  half-way  across  the  Pacific,  he  dis 
covered  a  naked,  barren  rock,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Necker,  after  the  French  Minister  of  Finance.  He  arrived 
at  Macao  on  the  3d  of  January,  1787,  after  a  voyage  entirely 
free  from  incident  or  adventure.  He  spent  three  months  here 
and  at  Manilla,  and  finally,  on  the  10th  of  April,  started  for 
the  scene  of  the  most  important  portion  of  his  mission, -^-the 
coasts  of  Tartary  and  of  Japan, — the  waters  which  separate  the 
mainland  of  the  former  from  the  islands  of  the  latter  being 
very  imperfectly  known  to  Europeans. 

Early  in  June,  Lape'rouse  entered  a  sea  never  before  ploughed 
by  a  European  keel ;  and,  as  it  was  only  known  from  Japanese 
or  Corean  charts,  published  by  the  Jesuits,  it  was  his  first  object 
either  to  verify  their  surveys  or  to  correct  their  errors.  As 
the  Jesuits  travelled  and  made  their  calculations  by  land,  La 
pe'rouse  added  hydrographic  details  and  observations  to  their  data, 
which  he  found  quite  generally  correct.  His  voyage  in  these 
latitudes  set  many  doubts  at  rest.  After  several  months  spent 
in  these  labors,  the  expedition  arrived  at  Petropaulowski  in 
September  of  the  same  year.  The  officers  were  grievously 
disappointed  in  not  finding  letters  and  despatches  from  France, 


464  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

but  one  evening,  during  a  Kamschatka  gala  ball,  the  arrival  of  a 
courier  from  Okhotsk  was  announced,  and  the  ball  was  inter 
rupted  that  the  mail  might  be  opened  and  delivered.  The  news 
was  favorable  for  all,  though,  after  so  long  an  absence,  it  was 
natural  that  there  should  be  evil  tidings  for  some  among  so 
many.  Lape'rouse  learned  that  he  had  been  promoted  in  rank; 
and  the  Governor  of  Okhotsk  caused  this  event  to  be  celebrated 
by  a  grand  discharge  of  artillery.  M.  de  Lesseps,  the  inter 
preter  attached  to  the  expedition,  was  detached  from  it  at  this 
point  by  Lape'rouse  and  sent  across  the  continent  by  way  of 
Okhotsk,  Irkoutsk,  and  Tobolsk  to  St.  Petersburg,  and  thence  to 
Paris,  with  the  ships'  letters  and  Lape'rouse's  journal.  It  is 
from  this  journal,  published  at  Paris,  that  we  have  obtained  the 
details  of  the  expedition  as  we  have  thus  far  chronicled  them. 

The  track  of  Lape'rouse  was  now  directly  south,  through  the 
heart  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  touched,. on  the  9th  of  De 
cember,  at  Maouna,  one  of  Navigator's  Isles.  The  vessels  were 
at  once  surrounded  by  a  hundred  or  more  canoes  filled  with  pigs 
and  fruit,  which  the  natives  would  only  exchange  for  glass 
beads,  which  in  their  eyes  were  what  diamonds  are  to  Europeans. 
Delangle,  the  captain  of  the  Astrolabe,  went  ashore  with  the 
watering  party.  The  islanders  made  no  objection  to  their 
landing  their  casks ;  but  as  the  tide  receded,  leaving  the  boats 
high  and  dry  upon  the  beach,  they  became  troublesome,  and 
finally  forced  Delangle  to  a  trial  of  his  muskets.  For  this  they 
took  a  sanguinary  vengeance.  Delangle  was  killed  by  a  single 
blow  from  a  club,  as  was  Lamanon,  the  naturalist.  Eleven  marines 
were  savagely  murdered,  either  with  stones  or  heavy  sticks, 
while  twenty  were  seriously  wounded.  The  rest  escaped  by 
swimming.  Lape'rouse  did  not  feel  himself  sufficiently  strong  to 
attempt  reprisals.  The  natives  hurled  stones  with  such  force 
and  accuracy  that  they  were  more  than  a  match  for  as  many 
musketeers.  Besides,  he  had  lost  thirty-two  men  and  two 
boats,  and  his  situation  generally  was  such  that  the  slightest 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  465 

mischance  would  now  compel  him  to  disarm  one  frigate  in  order 
to  refit  the  other.  It  was  late  in  January,  1788,  that  he  arrived 
at  Botany  Bay,  in  New  Holland, — the  last  place  in  which  he 
was  ever  seen,  alive  or  dead. 

His  last  letter  to  the  Minister  of  Marine  was  dated  at  Botany 
Bay,  the  7th  of  February.  In  this  he  stated  the  route  by 
which  he  intended  to  return  home,  and  the  dates  of  his  antici 
pated  arrivals  at  various  points.  His  plan  was  to  visit  the 
Friendly  Islands,  New  Guinea,  and  Van  Diemen's  Land,  and  to 
be  at  the  Isle  of  France,  near  Madagascar,  at  the  beginning  of 
December.  His  letter  arrived  in  due  course  at  Paris,  where  the 
public  mind  was  too  much  agitated  by  the  throes  of  revolution 
to  pay  much  heed  to  matters  of  such  remote  interest.  At  last, 
in  the  year  1791,  the  Society  of  Natural  History  called  the 
attention  of  the  Constituent  Assembly  to  the  fate  of  Lape'rouse 
and  his  companions.  The  hope  of  recovering  at  least  some 
wreck  of  an  expedition  undertaken  to  promote  the  sciences 
induced  the  Assembly  to  send  two  other  ships  to  Botany  Bay, 
with  orders  to  steer  the  same  course  from  that  place  that 
Lape'rouse  had  traced  out  for  himself.  Some  of  his  followers, 
it  was  thought,  might  have  escaped  from  the  wreck,  and  might 
be  confined  on  a  desert  island  or  thrown  upon  some  savage 
coast.  Two  ships  were  therefore  fitted  out,  and  placed  under 
the  command  of  Rear-Adrniral  d'Entrecasteaux. 

The  ships  returned  in  two  years,  without  having  obtained  the 
slightest  clue  to  the  fate  of  Lape'rouse  :  their  commander  had 
died  of  scurvy  at  Java.  At  the  Friendly  Islands,  the  first 
landing  that  Lape'rouse  was  to  make  after  leaving  Botany  Bay, 
the  inhabitants,  who  remembered  Cook  perfectly,  and  who  knew 
the  difference  between  French  and  English,  declared  that  La 
pe'rouse  had  not  visited  them.  As  they  were  the  most  civilized 
and  hospitable  of  all  the  Pacific  islanders,  it  was  thought  im 
probable  that  he  had  ever  sailed  as  far  as  the  very  first  station 

of  his  route, — an  opinion  which  was  confirmed  by  finding  no 

30 


466  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

trace  of  him  at  any  subsequent  point  of  his  intended  track.  No 
floating  remnants  of  wood  or  iron  work  were  anywhere  dis 
covered  ;  and  the  public  mind  gradually  settled  into  the  convic 
tion  that  the  two  unfortunate  vessels  were  lost  upon  their 
passage  from  Botany  Bay  to  the  Friendly  Islands.  The  cause 
was  supposed  to  be  neither  fire,  nor  leakage,  nor  the  effects  of  a 
stress  of  weather, — causes  which  could  hardly  be  fatal  at  the 
same  moment  to  two  vessels.  It  was  generally  believed  that, 
as  the  Boussole  and  Astrolabe  were  accustomed  to  keep  as  near 
each  other  as  possible  during  the  night,  they  both  simultaneously 
dashed  upon  a  hidden  quicksand.  In  this  manner,  one  vessel 
would  not  have  been  able  to  take  warning  in  time  by  the  dis 
aster  of  the  other. 

In  the  year  1813,  one  Captain  Dillon,  in  the  service  of  the 
British  East  India  Company,  putting  in  at  one  of  the  Feejee 
Islands,  found  there  two  foreign  sailors,  one  of  whom  was  a 
Prussian,  the  other  a  Lascar.  At  their  request  he  transported 
them  to  the  neighboring  island  of  Tucopia,  where  he  left  them, 
the  natives  expressing  no  hostility  toward  them  nor  objections 
to  their  stay.  In  1826, — thirteen  years  afterward, — Captain 
Dillon  again  touched  at  Tucopia,  where  he  found  them  comfort 
able  and  contented.  The  Lascar  sold  the  armorer  a  silver 
sword-hilt  of  French  manufacture  and  bearing  a  cipher  en 
graved  upon  it.  It  resulted  from  Dillon's  inquiries  that  the 
natives  had  obtained  many  articles  of  iron  and  other  metals 
from  a  distant  island  named  Manicolo,  where,  as  they  said,  two 
European  ships  had  been  wrecked  forty  years  before.  It  imme 
diately  occurred  to  Dillon  that  this  circumstance  was  connected 
with  the  loss  of  the  vessel  of  Laperouse,  whose  fate  still  remained 
involved  in  uncertainty.  Aware  of  the  interest  felt  in  Europe 
in  the  fate  of  the  unfortunate  navigator,  he  sailed  with  the 
Prussian  to  Manicolo,  but,  being  prevented  from  landing  by  the 
surf  and  the  coral  reef,  bore  away  to  New  Zealand  and  pro 
ceeded  on  his  voyage. 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  467 

In  1827,  Dumont  d'Urville  was  sent  out  by  the  French  Govern 
ment  in  the  sloop-of-war  Astrolabe  to  explore  the  great  archi 
pelagoes  of  the  Pacific,  with  incidental  authority  to  follow  up  any 
clue  he  might  discover  to  the  fate  of  Lape'rouse.  At  Hobart 
Town,  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  he  heard  some  account  of  the 
efforts  made  by  Dillon,  and  determined  to  conclude  what  he  had 
begun.  He  sailed  at  once  for  Manicolo,  and,  after  examining 
the  eastern  coast  of  the  island  without  success,  proceeded  to  the 
western.  Here  he  found  numerous  articles  of  European  manu 
facture  in  possession  of  the  savages,  who  steadfastly  refused  to 
say  whence  they  had  obtained  them  or  to  point  out  the  scene  of 
any  catastrophe  or  shipwreck.  At  last,  the  offer  of  a  piece  of 
red  cloth  induced  a  painted  islander  to  conduct  a  boat's  crew  to 
the  spot  which  is  now  regarded  as  that  at  which  the  lamented 
commander  and  his  vessels  met  their  untimely  fate.  Scattered 


about  in  the  bed  of  the  sea,  at  the  depth  of  about  twenty  feet, 
lay  anchors,  cannon,  and  sheets  of  lead  and  copper  sheathing, 
completely  corroded  and  disfigured  by  rust.  They  succeeded  in 
recovering  many  of  them  from  the  water, — an  anchor  of  four 
teen  hundred  pounds,  a  small  cannon  coated  with  coral,  and 
two  brass  swivels,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  Thus  pos 
sessed  of  evidence  which  after  the  lapse  of  forty  years  must  be 
considered  as  conclusive,  d'Urville  erected  near  the  anchorage 
a  cenotaph  to  the  memory  of  the  hapless  navigator.  It  was 
placed  in  a  small  grove,  and  consecrated  by  a  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns  and  three  volleys  of  musketry. 


468 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


The  islanders  were  now  profuse  in  their  explanations  of  the 
circumstances   attending   the   calamity.      As   far  as  d'Urville 


CONSECRATION     OF    THE     CENOTAPH. 


could  interpret  their  language  and  their  pantomime,  the  ships 
struck  upon  the  reef  during  a  gale  in  the  night.  One  speedily 
sank,  only  thirty  of  her  crew  escaping ;  the  other  remained  for 
a  time  entire,  but  afterwards  went  to  pieces,  her  whole  crew 
having  been  saved.  From  her  timbers  they  constructed  a 
schooner,  in  which  labor  they  occupied  seven  moons  or  months, 
and  then  sailed  away  and  never  returned.  What  befell  them 
after  their  second  embarkation,  what  was  the  fate  of  their  daring 
little  vessel, — if  indeed  any  such  was  ever  built, — no  one  has 
survived  to  tell.  It  is  safe  to  believe  that  both  vessels  were 
lost  upon  the  island  of  Vanikoro,  now  one  of  the  archipelago 
of  the  New  Hebrides.  It  is  supposed  that  Laperouse  was  the 
first  European  navigator  that  visited  it,  Dillon  the  second,  and 
d'Urville  the  third. 


SCENE  IN  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE     TRANSPLANTATION     OF     THE     BREAD-FRUIT     TREE THE     VOYAGE     OF     THE 

BOUNTY A  MUTINY BLIGH,  THE  CAPTAIN,  WITH    EIGHTEEN    MEN,  CAST  ADRIFT 

IN     THE    LAUNCH INCIDENTS     OF     THE      VOYAGE     FROM     TAHITI     TO     TIMOR  — 

TERRIBLE       SUFFERINGS      AND      A       MARVELLOUS      ESCAPE ARRIVAL      OF      THE 

MUTINEERS     AT     TAHITI THEIR     REMOVAL      TO     PITCAIRN's     ISLAND SUBSE 
QUENT     HISTORY VOYAGE     OF    VANCOUVER — ALGERINE     PIRACY BURNING     OF 

THE    PHILADELPHIA — PROUD    POSITION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

IN  the  year  1787,  the  merchants  and  planters  of  England, 
interested  in  his  Majesty's  West  India  possessions,  petitioned 
the  king  to  cause  the  bread-fruit  tree  to  be  introduced  into 
these  islands ;  and,  in  accordance  with  this  request,  the  armed 
transport  Bounty,  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  tons,  was  pur 
chased  and  docked  at  Deptford  to  be  furnished  with  the  proper 

fixtures.     Lieutenant  William  Bligh,  who  had  been  round  the 

469 


470  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

•\vorld  with  Cook,  was  appointed  to  command  her.  Her  cabin 
was  fitted  with  a  false  floor  cut  full  of  holes  sufficient  to  receive 
one  thousand  or  more  garden-pots.  She  was  victualled  for 
fifteen  months,  and  laden  with  trinkets  for  the  South  Sea 
Islanders.  Her  destination  was  Tahiti  by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 
She  sailed  late  in  December,  1787. 

After  a  three  months'  tempestuous  passage,  she  made  the 
eastern  coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego.  She  contended  thirty  days 
here  with  violent  westerly  gales,  seeking  either  to  thread  the 
strait  or  double  the  cape.  Finding  either  course  impossible, 
Bligh  ordered  the  helm  to  be  put  a-weather,  having  resolved 
to  cross  the  South  Atlantic  and  approach  Tahiti  from  the 
westward, — a  determination  which  was  successfully  executed. 

Bligh  gave  directions  to  all  on  board  not  to  inform  the  natives 
of  the  object  of  their  visit,  lest,  by  the  natural  law  of  supply 
and  demand,  the  price-current  of  bread-fruit  trees  should  sud 
denly  rise.  He  contrived  to  make  the  chiefs  believe  that  he  was 
doing  them  a  favor  in  conveying  specimens  of  their  plants  to  the 
great  King  of  England.  A  tent  was  erected  on  shore  to  receive 
the  trees,  some  thirty  of  which  were  potted  every  day.  On  the 
4th  of  April,  1789,  the  vessel  set  sail,  with  one  thousand  and 
fifteen  roots  in  pots,  tubs,  and  boxes. 

It  was  now  that  an  event  took  place  which  rendered  the  cruise 
of  the  Bounty  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  in  the  annals  of  the 
sea.  A  mutiny,  which  had  been  planned  in  secrecy,  broke  out 
on  the  27th.  The  whole  crew  were  engaged  in  it,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  eighteen  men.  Bligh,  with  these  eighteen, — most  of 
them  officers, — was  hurried  into  the  launch,  which  was  cut  loose, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bread,  twenty-eight  gallons 
of  water,  a  little  rum  and  wine,  with  a  quadrant  and  compass. 
A  few  pieces  of  pork,  some  cocoanuts,  and  four  cutlasses,  were 
thrown  at  them  as  they  were  cast  adrift.  Some  of  the  mutineers 
laughed  at  the  helpless  condition  of  the  launch  ;  while  others 
expressed  their  confidence  in  Bligh's  resources  by  exclaiming, 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  471 

with  oaths,  "  Pshaw !  he'll  find  his  way  home  if  you  give  him 
pencil  and  paper!"  "Blast  him!  he'll  have  a  vessel  built  in 
a  month  !" 

Bligh  was  convinced  that,  defenceless  and  unarmed  as  they 
were,  they  had  nothing  to  hope  from  the  inhabited  islands  of 
the  surrounding  waters.  He  told  the  crew  that  no  chance  of 
relief  remained  except  at  Timor,  where  there  was  a  Dutch 
colony,  at  a  distance  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  miles. 
They  all  agreed,  and  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn  promise,  to 
live  upon  one  ounce  of  bread  and  a  gill  of  water  a  day.  They 
then  bore  away  across  this  unknown  and  barbarous  sea,  in  a 
boat  twenty-three  feet  long  from  stem  to  stern,  deep-laden  with 
nineteen  men,  and  barely  supplied  with  food  for  two.  There  is 
nothing  in  maritime  annals  more  worthy  of  a  place  in  a  work 
treating  of  "Man  upon  the  Sea"  than  is  this  marvellous  voyage 
from  Tahiti  to  Timor. 

The  first  thing  done  was  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  their 
preservation  and  to  invoke  His  protection  during  the  perils  they 
were  to  encounter.  The  sun  now  rose  fiery  and  red,  foreboding 
a  severe  gale,  which,  before  long,  blew  with  extreme  severity. 
The  sea  curled  over  the  stern,  obliging  them  to  bale  without 
cessation.  The  bread  was  in  bags,  and  in  danger  of  being 
soaked  and  spoiled.  Unless  this  could  be  prevented,  starvation 
was  inevitable.  Every  thing  was  thrown  overboard  that  could 
be  spared, — even  to  suits  of  clothes  :  the  bread  was  then  secured 
in  the  carpenter's  chest.  A  teaspoonful  of  rum  and  a  fragment 
of  bread-fruit — collected  from  the  floor  of  the  boat,  where  it  had 
been  crushed  in  the  confusion  of  departure — was  now  served  to 
each  man. 

They  constantly  passed  in  sight  of  islands,  upon  which  they 
did  not  dare  to  land.  They  kept  on,  alternately  performing 
prayers,  dining  on  damaged  bread,  and  sipping  infinitesimal 
quantities  of  rum  or  other  cordial.  On  grand  occasions,  Bligh 
served  out  as  the  day's  allowance  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  cocoa- 


472  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

nut-milk  and  two  ounces  of  the  meat.  One  half  of  the  men 
watched  while  the  other  half  slept  with  nothing  to  cover  them 
hut  the  heavens.  They  could  not  stretch  out  their  limbs,  for 
there  was  not  room :  they  became  dreadfully  cramped,  and  at 
last  the  dangers  and  pains  of  sleep  were  such  that  it  became  an 
additional  misery  in  their  catalogue  of  sorrows.  A  heavy  thun 
der-shower  enabled  them  to  quench  their  thirst  for  the  first  time 
and  to  increase  their  stock  of  water  to  thirty-four  gallons ;  but, 
in  compensation,  it  wet  them  through  and  caused  them  to  pass 
a  cold  and  shivering  night.  The  next  day  the  sun  came  out, 
and  they  stripped  and  dried  their  clothes.  Bligh  thought  the 
men  needed  additional  creature  comfort  under  these  dismal  cir 
cumstances,  and  issued  to  each  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  pork, 
an  ounce  of  bread,  a  teaspoonful  of  rum,  and  half  a  pint  of 
cocoanut-milk.  They  kept  a  fishing-line  towing  from  the  stern ; 
but  in  no  one  instance  did  they  catch  a  fish. 

Bligh  now  became  convinced  that  in  serving  ounces  of  bread 
by  guess-work  he  was  dealing  out  overmeasure,  and  that  if  he 
continued  to  do  so  his  stores  would  not  last  the  eight  weeks  he 
had  intended  they  should.  So  he  made  a  pair  of  scales  of  two 
cocoanut-shells,  and,  having  accidentally  found  a  pistol-ball, 
twenty-five  of  which  were  known  to  weigh  a  pound,  or  sixteen 
ounces,  he  adopted  it  as  the  measure  of  one  ration  of  bread. 
The  men  were  thus  reduced  from  one  ounce  to  two  hundred  and 
seventy-two  grains.  Another  thunder-shower  now  came  on,  and 
they  caught  twenty  gallons  of  water.  The  usual  consolation 
of  a  thimbleful  of  rum  was  served  when  the  storm  was  over, 
together  with  one  mouthful  of  pork.  The  men  soon  began  to 
complain  of  pains  in  the  bowels ;  and  nearly  all  had  lost  in  a 
measure  the  use  of  their  limbs.  Their  clothes  would  not  dry 
when  taken  off  and  hung  upon  the  rigging,  so  impregnated  was 
the  atmosphere  with  moisture.  On  the  fifteenth  day  they  dis 
covered  a  number  of  islands,  which,  though  forming  part  of 
the  group  of  the  New  Hebrides,  had  been  seen  neither  by  Cook 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  473 

nor  Bougainville,  and  thus,  in  the  midst  of  their  agonies,  the 
barren  satisfaction  of  contributing  to  geographical  science  was, 
as  it  were  in  derision,  awarded  to  them.  The  men  now  clamored 
for  extra  allowances  of  pork  and  rum, — which  Bligh  sternly  re 
fused,  administering  his  bullet-weight  of  bread  with  the  severest 
ceremony. 

"At  dawn  of  the  twenty-second  day,"  says  Bligh,  "some 
of  my  people  seemed  half  dead :  our  appearances  were  horrible, 
and  I  could  look  no  way  but  I  caught  the  eye  of  some  one  in 
distress.  Extreme  hunger  was  now  too  evident ;  but  no  one 
suffered  from  thirst,  nor  had  we  much  inclination  to  drink, — that 
desire,  perhaps,  being  satisfied  through  the  skin.  Every  one 
dreaded  the  approach  of  night.  Sleep,  though  we  longed  for  it, 
afforded  no  comfort:  for  my  own  part,  I  almost  lived  without  it." 
Bligh  now  examined  the  remaining  bread,  and  found  sufficient 
to  last  for  twenty-nine  days  ;  but,  as  he  might  be  compelled  to 
avoid  Timor  and  go  to  Java,  it  became  necessary  to  make  the 
stock  hold  out  for  forty  days.  He  therefore  announced  that 
supper  would  hereafter  be  served  without  bread ! 

A  great  event  happened  on  the  twenty-seventh  day.  A 
noddy — a  bird  as  large  as  a  small  pigeon — was  caught  as  it  flew 
past  the  boat.  Bligh  divided  it,  with  the  entrails,  into  nineteen 
portions,  and  distributed  it  by  lots.  It  was  eaten,  bones  and 
all,  with  salt  water  for  sauce.  The  next  day  a  booby — which  is  as 
large  as  a  duck — was  caught,  and  was  divided  and  devoured  like 
the  noddy,  even  to  the  entrails,  beak,  and  feet.  The  blood  was 
given  to  three  of  the  men  who  were  the  most  distressed  for  want  of 
food.  On  the  thirtieth  day  they  landed  upon  the  northern  shore 
of  New  Holland,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  his  gracious  pro 
tection  through  a  series  of  disasters  and  calamities  then  almost 
unparalleled. 

They  found  oysters  upon  the  rocks,  which  they  opened  with 
out  detaching  them.  A  fire  was  made  by  the  help  of  a  magni- 
fying-glass ;  and  then,  with  the  aid  of  a  copper  pot  found  in  the 


474  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

boat,  a  delicious  stew  of  oysters,  pork,  bread,  and  cocoanut  was 
cooked,  of  which  every  man  received  a  full  pint.  Spring  water 
was  obtained  by  digging  where  a  growth  of  wire  grass  indicated 
a  moist  situation.  The  soft  tops  of  palm-trees  and  fern-roots 
furnished  them  a  very  palatable  addition  to  their  mess.  After 
laying  in  sixty  gallons  of  water  and  as  many  oysters  as  they 
could  collect,  they  re-embarked,  after  having  slept  two  nights 
on  land  and  having  been  greatly  benefited  thereby.  Keeping  to 
the  northwestward,  and  coasting  along  the  shore,  they  landed 
from  time  to  time  in  search  of  food.  On  the  2d  of  June,  the 
watch  of  the  gunner,  which  had  been  the  only  one  in  the  com 
pany  successfully  to  resist  the  influences  of  the  weather,  finally 
stopped,  so  that  sunrise,  noon,  and  sunset  were  now  the  only 
definite  points  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  On  the  next  day, 
having  followed  the  northeastern  shore  of  New  Holland  as 
far  as  it  lay  in  their  route,  they  once  more  launched  into  the 
open  sea. 

On  Thursday,  the  llth,  they  passed,  as  Bligh  supposed,  the 
meridian  of  the  eastern  point  of  Timor, — a  fact  which  diffused 
universal  joy  and  satisfaction.  On  Friday,  at  three  in  the 
morning,  the  island  was  faintly  visible  in  the  west,  and  by  day 
light  it  lay  but  five  miles  to  the  leeward.  They  had  run  three 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eighteen  miles  in  an  open  boat  in 
forty-one  days,  with  provisions  barely  sufficient  for  five.  Though 
life  had  never  been  sustained  upon  so  little  nourishment  for  so 
long  a  time,  and  under  equal  circumstances  of  exposure  and 
suffering,  not  a  man  perished  during  the  voyage.  Their  wants 
were  most  kindly  supplied  by  the  Dutch  at  Coupang,  and  every 
necessary  and  comfort  administered  with  a  most  liberal  hand. 

On  his  return  to  England,  Bligh  published  a  narrative  of  his 
voyage  and  of  the  mutiny,  which  was  soon  translated  into  all 
the  languages  of  Europe.  He  ascribed  the  revolt  to  the  desire 
of  the  crew  to  lead  an  idle  and  luxurious  life  at  Tahiti,  though  sub 
sequent  developments,  and  his  own  outrageous  and  brutal  conduct 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA, 


475 


when  Governor  of  New  South  Wales,  proved  quite  conclusively 
that  his  cruelties  and  tyranny  had  rendered  him  odious  and 
intolerable.  The  British  Government  could  not  allow  such  a 
transaction  upon  the  high  seas  to  pass  unpunished,  and  de 
spatched  the  frigate  Pandora,  Captain  Edwards,  to  Tahiti  in 
the  month  of  August.  Only  ten  of  the  mutineers  were  found, 
the  rest  having  withdrawn  to  another  island  through  fear  of 
discovery,  as  we  shall  now  relate,  merely  stating  that  the  ten 
persons  taken  were  conveyed  to  England,  where  they  were  tried 
and  executed. 

John  Adams,  one  of  the  mutineers,  being  apprehensive  that 
the  English  Government  would  make  an  attempt  to  punish  the 
revolt,  resolved  to  escape  to  some  neighboring  and  uninhabited 
island,  and  there  establish  a  colony.  With  eight  Englishmen, 
one  of  whom  was  Christian,  the  ringleader  in  the  mutiny,  their 
Tahitian  wives,  and  a  few  islanders  of  both  sexes,  he  sailed  in 
the  Bounty  to  Pitcairn's  Island,  which  had  been  lately  seen  by 
Carteret.  They  arrived  there  in  1790,  and,  having  unladen  the 
vessel,  burned  her.  A  settlement  was  formed,  which  prospered  in 
spite  of  the  continual  quarrels  between  the  males  of  the  two  races. 
This  hostility  resulted,  in  three  years,  in  the  extinction  of  the 


COLONISTS     OF     PITCAIRN'S     ISLAND. 


savages,  leaving  upon  the  island  Adams,  three  Englishmen,  ten 
women  of  Tahiti,  and  the  children,  some  twenty  in  number. 
One  of  the  Englishmen,  having  succeeded  in  distilling  brandy 


476  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

from  a  root  which  grew  in  abundance,  drank  to  excess  and 
threw  himself  headlong  from  a  rock  into  the  sea.  Another  was 
slain  for  entertaining  designs  upon  the  wife  of  the  only  remain 
ing  Englishman  except  Adams.  Thus,  in  1799,  Adams  and 
Young  were  the  only  males  of  the  original  colony  surviving. 
They  began  to  reflect  upon  their  duties  toward  their  children 
and  those  of  their  companions  :  they  commenced  holding  re 
ligious  services  morning  and  evening,  and  instructed  the  rising 
generation  in  such  rudimental  branches  of  education  as  their 
own  learning  would  permit.  Young  died  in  1801,  and  Adams 
became  the  administrator  and  patriarch  of  the  colony.  He  was 
assisted  by  the  Tahitian  women,  who  showed  a  remarkable  ca 
pacity  for  civilization  and  aptitude  for  refinement.  An  English 
frigate,  the  Briton,  touched  at  Pitcairn  in  1814,  and  her  captain 
offered  to  take  Adams  back  to  England,  promising  him  to  pro 
cure  his  pardon  from  the  king.  But  the  forty-seven  persons, 
women  and  children,  forming  the  settlement,  besought  their 
patriarch  not  to  leave  them.  In  182o,  Captain  Beechey 
visited  the  island,  and  found  the  population  increased  to  sixty- 
six.  Adams  was  sixty  years  old,  but  still  vigorous  and  active. 
He  begged  Beechey  to  marry  him,  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
English  Church,  to  the  woman  with  whom  he  had  lived,  and 
who  was  now  infirm  and  blind.  Beechey  gladly  acceded  to 
the  request.  Soon  after,  an  English  missionary,  named  Buffet, 
went  out  to  Pitcairn  to  assist  Adams  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  and  to  succeed  him  upon  his  death.  The  latter  event 
occurred  in  1829.  Vessels  occasionally  stopped  at  Pitcairn, 
and  the  English  Government  was  thus  kept  informed  of  the 
progress  of  its  interesting  colony. 

In  1856,  the  descendants  of  the  original  settlers,  having  in 
creased  so  much  as  to  outgrow  the  resources  of  their  sea-girt 
home,  abandoned  Pitcairn's  Island,  and  transferred  themselves, 
with  their  goods  and  chattels,  to  Norfolk  Island,  directly  west 
and  toward  New  South  Wales.  They  numbered  one  hundred 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  477 

and  ninety-nine  in  all,  the  oldest  man  being  sixty-two,  and  the 
oldest  woman  eighty.  Charles  Christian  is  the  grandson  of 
Christian  the  ringleader.  Their  new  home  contains  about  four 
teen  thousand  acres,  and  is  well  watered,  fertile,  and  healthy, 
the  soil  producing  abundantly  both  European  and  tropical  fruits, 
vegetables,  grains,  and  spices.  The  history  of  the  present 
colony,  the  offspring  in  the  third  generation  of  European 
fathers  and  Tahitian  mothers,  is  as  remarkable  as  any  tale  in 
romance  or  any  legend  in  mythology. 

In  the  year  1790, — to  return  to  chronological  order, — the 
British  Government  determined  to  make  one  more  attempt  to 
discover  a  channel  of  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  to  the  north  of  the  American  continent,  and  selected  to 
command  the  expedition  Lieutenant  George  Vancouver,  who 
had  accompanied  Cook  on  his  second  and  third  voyages.  He 
was  raised  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  placed  at  the  head  of 
an  expedition  consisting  of  the  sloop-of-war  Discovery  and  the 
armed  tender  Chatham.  He  left  Falmouth  on  the  1st  of  April, 
1791 ;  and,  as  the  Admiralty  had  designated  no  route  by  which 
to  proceed  to  the  Pacific,  he  decided  to  go  by  way  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  He  arrived  here  without  adventure  in  July, 
and,  late  in  September,  struck  the  southern  coast  of  New  Hol 
land  at  a  cape  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Chatham,  from  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty. 

The  two  vessels  coasted  to  the  eastward,  surveying  the  in 
dentations  and  giving  names  to  all  points  of  interest.  A  harbor 
being  discovered,  it  received  the  name  of  King  George  the 
Third's  Sound,  and  Vancouver  took  possession  of  the  land  in 
the  name  of  his  Gracious  Majesty.  A  wretched  hovel,  three 
feet  high,  in  the  form  of  a  bee-hive  cut  through  the  centre  from 
the  apex  to  the  base,  and  constructed  of  slender  twigs,  here 
revealed  the  presence  of  inhabitants  ;  while  the  singular  appear 
ance  of  the  trees  and  the  vegetation,  which  had  evidently  under 
gone  the  action  of  fire, — the  shrubs  being  completely  charred 


478  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

and  the  grass  having  been  shrivelled  by  the  heat, — showed  that, 
miserable  as  they  certainly  were,  they  were  acquainted  with  the 
uses  and  abuses  of  fire.  At  last  they  discovered  a  deserted  vil 
lage,  consisting  of  some  two  dozen  huts  or  hives,  which  had 


apparently  been  the  residence  of  a  considerable  tribe.  They 
gratified  their  curiosity  by  contemplating  and  investigating 
these  humiliating  efforts  of  human  ingenuity. 

Continuing  to  the  eastward,  Vancouver  touched  at  New 
Zealand,  and  arrived  at  a  spot  where  he  had  been  with  Cook 
eighteen  years  before.  An  inlet  which  Cook  had  been  unable 
to  explore,  and  which  he  had  named  in  consequence  "  NOBODY 
KNOWS  WHAT,"  was  explored  by  Vancouver  and  called  by  him 
';  SOMEBODY  KNOWS  WHAT."  Running  to  the  north,  he  dis 
covered  an  island  whose  inhabitants  spoke  the  language  of  the 
great  South  Sea  nation  and  who  seemed  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  uses  of  iron,  though  they  had  little  or  none  of  that 
metal.  A  Sandwich  Islander,  whom  Vancouver  had  brought 
from  London  as  an  interpreter,  and  who  was  named  Towerezoo, 
was  of  very  little  assistance ;  for  he  had  been  so  long  absent 
that  he  now  spoke  English  much  better  than  his  mother-tongue, 
and  spoke  the  latter  no  better  than  Vancouver.  The  island 
appeared  to  go  by  the  name  of  Oparo,  by  which  Vancouver 
thought  fit  to  distinguish  it  till  it  should  be  found  more  pro 
perly  entitled  to  another.  The  two  vessels  arrived  in  December 
at  Tahiti,  and  anchored  in  Matavai  Bay.  The  chronometers 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 


479 


were  landed,  in  order  to  correct  them  by  the  known  longitude 
of  the  island ;  the  sails  were  unbent,  the  topmasts  struck,  for  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  rigging.  The  Discovery  went  by 
accident  upon  a  rock,  and  was  for  a  while  in  great  danger.  On 


Sunday,  the  1st  of  January,  1792,  every  one  had  as  much  fresh 
pork  and  plum-pudding  as  he  could  eat,  and  a  double  allowance 
of  grog  was  served  in  which  to  drink  the  time-honored  toast. 
The  formula,  however,  was  slightly  altered  to  suit  the  state  of 
the  case :  the  gunner  of  the  Discovery  being  the  only  married 
man  of  the  party,  the  toast  given  was  SWEETHEARTS  AND 
WIFE  ! 

On  the  24th  of  January,  the  two  ships  turned  their  head  to 
the  northward,  now  for  the  first  time  commencing  the  voyage 
in  view  of  which  the  expedition  had  been  equipped.  They  ran 
the  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  that  lay  between  them  and 
the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  space  of  five  weeks,  and  anchored 
off  Owhyhee  on  the  1st  of  March.  They  touched  the  American 
coast,  or  that  part  of  it  known  as  New  Albion,  in  39°  north 
latitude,  which  Vancouver  now  explored  and  surveyed.  In 
August  he  entered  Nootka,  where,  in  accordance  with  his  in 
structions,  he  was  to  receive  from  the  Spanish  authorities  the 
formal  cession  of  the  colony  they  had  established.  He  found 
his  Catholic  Majesty's  brig  Active  already  there,  commanded 
by  Senor  Don  Juan  Francisco  de  la  Rodega  y  Quadra.  The 
two  commanders  agreed  to  honor  each  other  by  a  mutual  salute 


480  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

of  thirteen  guns,  which  was  done ;  while  other  courtesies  were 
cordially  exchanged.  The  ceremony  then  took  place.  Van 
couver  now  returned  to  Owhyhee,  and  the  king,  smitten  by  a 
sudden  and  vehement  attachment  for  the  English,  proposed  to 
make  over  the  island  to  the  dominion  of  the  King  of  England. 
All  the  insular  dignitaries  assembled  on  the  decks  of  the  Dis 
covery,  and  the  surrender  was  made  in  the  midst  of  speeches 
and  cannonades.  Vancouver  did  not  seem  to  have  been  deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  this  event.  The  solemnity 
of  the  transaction  was  not  increased  by  the  circumstance  that  it 
took  place  upon  the  spot  where  Cook  had  so  recently  been 
massacred. 

Returning  to  the  north,  Vancouver  continued  his  surveys  and 
explorations  of  the  American  coast  as  far  as  the  fifty-sixth 
degree  of  latitude.  He  terminated  his  operations  on  the  22d 
of  August,  at  Port  Conclusion,  where  an  additional  allowance 
of  grog  was  served,  that  the  day  might  be  celebrated  with 
proper  festivity.  He  returned  to  Europe  with  the  certitude 
that  no  passage  existed  from  the  North  Pacific  across  the 
American  continent  into  the  Atlantic.  His  surveys  remain  as 
a  monument  of  his  activity,  skill,  and  perseverance.  The  pre 
sent  charts  of  the  coast  of  North  America  upon  the  Pacific  are 
based  upon  them.  More  than  nine  thousand  miles  of  shore, 
with  its  headlands,  capes,  rivers,  bays,  promontories,  and  laby 
rinths  of  islands,  had  been  carefully  explored  by  surveying 
parties  in  boats,  in  superintending  which  Vancouver  injured  his 
health  and  brought  on  the  decline  which  terminated  in  his 
death,  in  the  year  1798,  at  the  early  age  of  forty-eight. 

We  have  now  to  record  the  remarkable  series  of  acts  by 
which  the  United  States  of  America,  in  the  twenty-fifth  year 
of  their  existence  as  a  nation,  put  an  end  to  a  humiliation  to 
which  the  commercial  powers  of  Europe  had  submitted  for  cen 
turies.  From  the  time  when  the  Spanish  Moors,  driven  out  of 
Granada  by  Ferdinand  the  Catholic,  settled  on  the  opposite 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  481 

coast  and  commenced  the  practice  of  piracy,  the  Barbary 
States,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  and  Algiers,  had  been  united  against 
all  Christian  commerce  in  the  Mediterranean.  Emboldened  by 
impunity,  they  extended  their  operations  into  the  Atlantic, 
seizing  the  vessels  of  all  nations  who  did  not  pay  them  tribute. 
England  under  Cromwell,  and  France  under  Louis  XIV.,  how 
ever,  caused  their  flags  to  be  respected.  The  Dutch,  Danes, 
and  Swedes,  by  paying  an  annual  tax,  purchased  exemption 
from  seizure, — thus  giving  the  sanction  of  a  treaty  to  the 
outrage  and  consenting  to  wear  an  odious  badge  of  servitude. 
Eussia  and  Austria  were  protected  by  special  agreements. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  American  Republic,  Tripoli 
intimated  to  the  Government  the  propriety  of  paying  tribute. 
Jefferson  replied,  in  1800,  by  declaring  war  against  Tripoli, 
and  sent  out  an  armed  naval  force  under  Commodore  Dale. 
This  officer,  with  two  frigates  and  a  sloop-of-war,  blockaded 
Tripoli,  preventing  the  cruisers  from  getting  to  sea,  and  thus 
protecting  our  commerce.  Commodore  Preble  followed  with 
seven  vessels  in  1803.  In  October,  one  of  his  ships, — the 
Philadelphia,  Captain  Bainbridge, — engaged  in  reconnoitring 
the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  grounded  and  was  forced  to  surrender. 
The  officers  were  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  the  sailors  as 
slaves.  The  vessel  was  floated  and  moored  in  the  harbor, 
strongly  manned  by  Tripolitans,  whose  naval  force  was  thus 
unexpectedly  augmented. 

The  American  squadron  rendezvoused  at  Syracuse,  in  Sicily, 
— somewhat  over  a  day's  sail  from  Tripoli.  A  young  lieutenant 
under  Preble,  named  Decatur,  formed  a  plan  for  destroying  the 
Philadelphia  and  thus  reducing  the  Tripolitans  again  to  their 
ordinary  naval  strength.  Preble  consented  to  the  scheme,  and 
Decatur  armed  a  ketch  which  he  had  captured,  and  with  it 
entered,  in  February,  1804,  under  cover  of  the  night,  the  har 
bor  of  Tripoli.  He  had  with  him  an  old  pilot  who  spoke  the 

Tripolitan  language.      On  approaching  the  Philadelphia,   they 

31 


482  MAN    UPOX   THE   SEA. 

were  challenged ;  but  the  pilot  replied  that  he  had  lost  his 
anchor  and  merely  wished  to  fasten  his  vessel  to  the  frigate  till 
morning.  A  boat  was  sent  ashore  by  the  Tripolitans  to  ask 
permission,  and  then  Decatur  and  his  men  leaped  upon  the 
deck.  They  rushed  upon  the  affrighted  corsairs,  fifty  in  num 
ber,  and  drove  them  into  the  sea.  They  set  fire  to  the  Phila 
delphia,  and,  by  the  light  of  the  blaze,  escaped  without  the  loss 
of  a  single  man.  One  sailor  was  wounded  by  receiving  upon 
his  arm  a  blow  from  a  sabre  with  which  the  turbaned  pirate 
meant  to  decapitate  Decatur. 

The  Tripolitans  were  enraged  at  the  loss  of  their  prize,  and 
treated  Bainbridge  and  his  enslaved  crew  with  greater  severity 
than  ever.  Three  times  did  Preble  enter  the  harbor  of  Tripoli 
with  his  fleet  and  open  his  broadsides  against  the  town,  destroy 
ing  some  of  the  shipping,  but  making  no  material  impression. 
At  last,  a  series  of  brilliant  actions  upon  land  under  General 
Eaton,  whose  army  consisted  of  nine  Americans,  twenty  Greeks, 
and  five  hundred  Egyptians,  and  the  arrival  of  the  frigate  Con 
stitution  in  June,  1805,  forced  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  to  come  to 
terms ;  and  he  released  his  prisoners  and  abandoned  forever  the 
levying  of  tribute  upon  American  ships.  Peace  was  at  once 
concluded. 

In  1812,  the  United  States  being  at  war  with  England,  the 
Dey  of  Algiers  thought  our  Government  would  be  unable  to 
cope  with  two  enemies  upon  the  ocean,  and  determined  to  re 
sume  piracy  on  our  vessels.  He  pretexted  the  unsatisfactory 
quality  of  a  cargo  of  military  stores  furnished  by  our  Govern 
ment,  and  ordered  the  American  agent  to  leave  the  capital. 
Depredations  were  immediately  recommenced :  our  vessels  were 
plundered  and  confiscated  and  their  crews  enslaved.  The  Pre 
sident  suggested  the  importance  of  taking  measures  of  preven 
tion,  in  his  message  to  Congress  in  December,  1814,  and,  after 
the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  England,  despatched  two 
squadrons  to  the  Mediterranean,  under  Decatur  and  Bainbridge, 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  483 

both  now  commodores.  The  former  captured,  in  June,  an 
Algerine  frigate  of  forty-four  guns  and  a  brig  of  twenty-two. 
He  then  sailed  for  Algiers.  The  American  navy  had  earned 
an  enviable  distinction  in  the  war  with  England,  and  the  sight 
of  our  gallant  fleet  inspired  the  dey  with  a  salutary  terror.  He 
consented  to  the  terms  imposed  by  Decatur,  which  were  to  give 
up  all  captured  men  and  property,  to  pay  six  million  dollars 
for  previous  exactions,  and  to  exempt  our  commerce  from  tribute 
for  all  time  to  come.  A  treaty  was  signed  on  the  4th  of  July, 
— an  auspicious  date  for  so  honorable  an  achievement. 

The  proud  position  thus  attained  by  the  United  States 
attracted  the  attention  of  Europe.  Our  Government  had  ex 
torted  expressions  of  submission  from  the  corsairs  such  as  no 
other  power  had  ever  obtained.  The  Congress  of  Vienna  dis 
cussed  the  subject,  and  it  was  resolved  that  from  that  time  for 
ward  Christian  slavery  in  Algiers  was  suppressed.  The  English 
sent  Lord  Exmouth  to  bombard  that  city,  and  compelled  the 
dey  to  submit  to  conditions  like  those  imposed  by  Decatur. 
The  Algerines  were  not  yet  broken,  however.  They  placed 
their  city  in  a  formidable  state  of  defence,  and  then  proceeded 
to  intercept  the  trade  of  the  French.  The  French  Government 
declared  war, —  a  measure  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
Algiers  in  1830  and  in  the  seizure  of  Abd-el-Kader  in  the 
winter  of  1847-48.  These  events  have  led  to  the  colonization 
of  the  territory  by  the  French  and  to  the  partial  extinction 
of  the  Algerine  people.  Piracy  in  the  Mediterranean  may 
safely  be  said  to  be  at  an  end  forever. 


THE  CLERMONT:   THE  FIRST  STEAMBOAT. 


CHAPTER  XL VIII. 

APPLICATION  OF  STEAM  TO  NAVIGATION — ROBERT  FULTON — CHANCELLOR  LIVING 
STON — LAUNCH  OF  THE  CLERMONT — SHE  CROSSES  THE  HUDSON  RIVER — HER 
VOYAGE  TO  ALBANY — DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SCENE — FULTON'S  OWN  ACCOUNT — 
LEGISLATIVE  PROTECTION  GRANTED  TO  FULTON — THE  PENDULUM-ENGINE — 
CONSTRUCTION  OF  OTHER  STEAMBOATS — THE  STEAM- FRIGATE  FULTON  THE 
FIRST — THE  FIRST  OCEAN-STEAMER,  THE  SAVANNAH — ACCOUNT  OF  HER  VOYAGE 
— MISAPPREHENSIONS  UPON  THE  SUBJECT. 

IN  the  year  1807,  a  new  agent  was  introduced  into  the  science 
of  navigation, — one  which  was  destined  to  effect  as  great  a 
change  in  the  'duration^  a  voyage  at  sea  as  the  compass  had 
effected  in  its  practicability.  Steam  was  applied  to  a  boat  upon 
the  Hudson,  and  the  Clermont,  propelled  by  wheels,  steamed 
from  Jersey  City  to  Albany.  Though  this  was  an  event  that 
immediately  concerned  river-navigation,  and  though  twelve 
years  were  to  elapse  before  the  accomplishment  of  the  first 
ocean  steam-voyage,  we  cannot  with  propriety  omit  an  account 
of  the  conception,  construction,  and  success  of  the  first  river- 
steamboat. 

Robert  Fulton  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  the  year  1765.  He  manifested  a  genius  for  mechanics  at  an 

early  age,  though  portrait-painting  was  his  first  profession.     He 

484 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  485 

spent  many  years  in  England  and  France,  and  conceived  the 
idea  of  a  vessel  propelled  by  steam  in  1793.  He  received  no 
countenance  from  Napoleon,  and  returned  to  the  United  States 
in  December,  1806.  His  mind  was  now  occupied  with  two 
projects, — the  invention  of  submarine  explosives  and  the  con 
struction  of  a  steamboat.  He  published  a  work  entitled  "  Tor 
pedo  War,"  with  the  motto,  "  The  liberty  of  the  seas  will  be  the 
happiness  of  the  earth."  He  renewed  his  acquaintance  with 
Chancellor  Livingston,  whom  he  had  known  when  ambassador 
to  Paris.  This  gentleman  had  long  had  entire  faith  in  the 
practicability  of  steam-navigation,  and  as  early  as  1798  had 
obtained  from  the  Legislature  of  New  York  a  monopoly  of  all 
such  navigation  upon  the  waters  of  the  State,  provided  he 
would  within  twelve  months  build  a  boat  which  should  go  four 
miles  an  hour  by  steam.  When  they  met  in  America,  in  1806, 
the  two  entered  into  a  partnership  and  commenced  the  con 
struction  of  a  boat.  Finding  the  expenses  unexpectedly  heavy, 
they  offered  to  sell  one-third  of  their  patent ;  but  no  one  would 
invest  in  an  enterprise  universally  deemed  hopeless.  The  boat 
was  nevertheless  launched,  in  the  spring  of  1807,  from  the  ship 
yard  of  Charles  Brown,  on  the  East  River.  She  was  supplied 
with  an  engine  built  in  England,  and  was  driven  by  steam,  in 
August,  from  the  New  York  side  to  the  Jersey  shore.  The 
incredulous  crowd  who  had  assembled  to  laugh  stayed  to  wonder 
and  applaud. 

The  Clermont  soon  after  sailed  for  Albany,  her  departure 
having  been  announced  in  the  newspapers  as  a  grand  and  un 
equalled  curiosity.  "  She  excited,"  says  Golden,  in  his  Life  of 
Fulton,  "the  astonishment  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  shores  of 
the  Hudson,  many  of  whom  had  not  heard  even  of  an  engine, 
much  less  of  a  steamboat.  There  were  many  descriptions  of 
the  effects  of  her  first  appearance  upon  the  people  of  the  bank 
of  the  river :  some  of  these  were  ridiculous,  but  some  of  them 
were  of  such  a  character  as  nothing  but  an  object  of  real 


486  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

grandeur  could  have  excited.  She  was  described,  by  some  who 
had  indistinctly  seen  her  passing  in  the  night,  as  a  monster 
moving  on  the  waters,  defying  the  winds  and  tide,  and  breathing 
flames  and  smoke.  She  had  the  most  terrific  appearance  from 
other  vessels  which  were  navigating  the  river  when  she  was 
making  her  passage.  The  first  steamboat — as  others  yet  do — 
used  dry  pine  wood  for  fuel,  which  sends  forth  a  column  of 
ignited  vapor  many  feet  above  the  flue,  and  whenever  the  fire 
is  stirred  a  galaxy  of  sparks  fly  off,  and  in  the  night  have  a 
very  brilliant  and  beautiful  appearance.  This  uncommon  light 
first  attracted  the  attention  of  the  crews  of  other  vessels.  Not 
withstanding  the  wind  and  tide,  which  were  adverse  to  its  ap 
proach,  they  saw  with  astonishment  that  it  was  rapidly  coming 
toward  them ;  and  when  it  came  so  near  that  the  noise  of  the 
machinery  and  paddles  was  heard,  the  crews — if  what  was  said 
in  the  newspapers  of  the  time  be  true — in  some  instances  shrunk 
beneath  their  decks  from  the  terrific  sight  and  left  their  vessels 
to  go  on  shore,  whilst  others  prostrated  themselves  and  besought 
Providence  to  protect  them  from  the  approaches  of  the  horrible 
monster  which  was  marching  on  the  tide  and  lighting  its  path 
by  the  fires  which  it*ro«iited." 

Fulton  himself  wrote  the  following  account  of  the  trip  up  the 
river  and  back,  and  published  it  in  the  American  Citizen : — "  I 
left  New  York  on  Monday  at  one  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  Cler- 
mont,  the  seat  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  at  one  o'clock  on  Tues 
day  :  time,  twenty-four  hours ;  distance,  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles.  On  Wednesday,  I  departed  from  the  chancellor's  at 
nine  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  at  Albany  at  five  in  the 
afternoon :  time,  eight  hours ;  distance,  forty  miles.  The  sum 
is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  thirty-two  hours, — equal  to 
near  five  miles  an  hour. 

"On  Thursday,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  left  Albany, 
and  arrived  at  the  chancellor's  at  six  in  the  evening :  I  started 
from  thence  at  seven,  and  arrived  at  New  York  at  four  in  the 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  487 

afternoon ;  time,  thirty  hours ;  space  run  through,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles, — equal  to  five  miles  an  hour.  Throughout  my 
whole  way,  both  going  and  returning,  the  wind  was  ahead:  no 
advantage  could  be  derived  from  my  sail :  the  whole  has  there 
fore  been  performed  by  the  power  of  the  steam-engine." 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  friends,  Fulton  wrote: — "I  overtook 
many  sloops  and  schooners  beating  to  windward,  and  parted 
with  them  as  if  they  had  been  at  anchor.  The  power  of  pro 
pelling  boats  by  steam  is  now  fully  proved.  The  morning  I  left 
New  York  there  were  not  perhaps  thirty  persons  who  believed  that 
the  boat  would  even  move  one  mile  an  hour,  or  be  of  the  least 
utility ;  and  while  we  were  putting  off  from  the  wharf,  which 
was  crowded  with  spectators,  I  heard  a  number  of  sarcastic 
remarks.  This  is  the  way  in  which  ignorant  men  compliment 
what  they  call  philosophers  and  projectors.  .  .  .  Although  the 
prospect  of  personal  emolument  has  been  some  inducement  to 
me,  yet  I  feel  infinitely  more  pleasure  in  reflecting  on  the  im 
mense  advantage  that  my  country  will  derive  from  the  inven 
tion." 

The  Clermont  was  now  advertised  as  a  regular  passenger- 
boat  upon  the  Hudson.  She  met  with  numerous  accidents 
during  the  season;  and  her  obvious  defects  would  have  been 
remedied  by  the  application  of  as  obvious  improvements  by  Fulton 
himself,  had  not  other  persons  anticipated  him  by  taking  out 
patents  for  improvements  which  they  themselves  proposed.  They 
thus  caused  him  infinite  annoyance,  and  even  contested  his  right 
as  an  inventor.  Shipmasters,  too,  who  looked  upon  his  boat  as 
an  intruder  upon  their  domain,  ran  their  vessels  purposely  foul 
of  her  on  more  than  one  occasion.  The  Legislature  saw  fit  to 
counteract  the  effects  of  this  hostility  by  passing  an  act  pro 
longing  Livingston  and  Fulton's  privilege  five  years  for  every 
additional  boat  established, — the  whole  time,  however,  not  to 
exceed  thirty  years.  It  also  made  all  combinations  to  destroy 
the  Clermont  offences  punishable  by  fine  and  imprisonment. 


MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Thus  protected,  the  Clennont  ran  throughout  the  season, 
always  well  laden  with  passengers.  In  the  winter  she  was 
enlarged  and  improved.  The  wheel-guards  were  strengthened, 
and  became  a  prominent  and  essential  feature  of  the  boat. 
The  rudder  was  replaced  by  one  of  much  larger  dimensions, 
and  a  steering-wheel  towards  the  bow  was  substituted  for  the 
ordinary  tiller.  The  accommodations  for  passengers  were  made 
much  more  comfortable, — luxurious  even, — and  the  public  taste 
was  consulted  in  the  application  of  numerous  coats  of  rather 
gaudy  paint.  She  then  commenced  her  trips  for  the  season 
of  1808.  She  started  regularly  at  the  appointed  hour, — at  first 
much  to  the  discontent  of  travellers  who  had  before  been  waited 
for  by  both  sloops  and  stages.  At  the  end  of  the  season  the 
Clermont  was  altogether  too  small  for  the  crowds  who  thronged 
to  take  passage.  Two  boats,  the  Car  of  Neptune  and  the 
Paragon,  were  therefore  soon  added  to  the  line. 

Fulton,  menaced  by  constant  contestation  of  his  rights,  took 
out  a  patent  in  1809  from  the  General  Government,  and  another, 
for  improvements,  in  1811.  His  system  was  so  simple — the 
adaptation  of  pachsUe-wheels  to  the  axle  of  the  crank  of  Watt's 
engine — that  it  seemed  then,  as  it  has  proved  since,  almost  im 
possible  by  any  specifications  effectually  to  protect  it.  The  famous 
Pendulum  Company  caused  Fulton  for  a  time  much  trouble. 
They  built  a  boat  the  wheels  of  which  were  to  be  moved  by  a 
pendulum.  While  she  was  upon  the  stocks  and  the  wheels 
were  resisted  only  by  the  air,  the  labor  of  a  few  men  made 
them  turn  regularly  and  rapidly;  but  when  she  was  launched, 
and  the  pendulum  encountered  the  resistance  of  the  water, 
neither  pendulum,  wheels,  nor  boat  would  stir.  The  Pendulum 
Company  were  aghast  at  this  phenomenon,  and  clearly  saw  that 
if  the  boat  was  to  be  moved  by  the  wheels,  and  the  wheels  by 
the  pendulum,  something  must  be  devised  of  sufficient  power  to 
move  the  pendulum.  There  was  nothing,  evidently,  but  the 
steam-engine ;  and  so  they  copied  Fulton's.  Lawsuits  followed ; 


MAN    UPON    THE   SEA.  489 

and  in  his  argument  in  behalf  of  Fulton  Mr.  Emmet  thus 
spoke  of  the  Pendulum  gentlemen : — "  They  are  men  who  never 
waste  health  and  life  in  midnight  vigils  and  painful  study ;  who 
never  dream  of  science  in  the  broken  slumbers  of  an  exhausted 
mind ;  who  bestow  upon  the  construction  of  a  steamboat  just  as 
much  mathematical  calculation  and  philosophical  research  as  on 
the  purchase  of  a  sack  of  wheat  or  a  barrel  of  ashes."  Fulton 
gained  his  cause,  and  the  boat  which  was  to  go  by  clock-work 
was  prohibited  from  going  even  by  steam. 

In  1812,  Fulton  built  the  Fire-Fly ;  and,  as  the  town  of  New- 
burgh,  half-way  to  Albany,  offered  sufficient  traffic  to  support 
at  least  one  boat,  she  was  placed  upon  that  route.  In  the  same 
year  he  constructed  two  ferry-boats  for  crossing  the  Hudson, 
making  them  with  rudder  and  bow  at  either  end.  He  also 
contrived  floating  docks  for  their  reception,  and  a  method 
of  stopping  them  without  concussion.  In  1813,  he  built  a 
steam-vessel  of  four  hundred  tons  and  unusual  strength,  to 
ply  in  Long  Island  Sound  between  New  York  and  New 
Haven.  She  was  the  first  steamboat  constructed  with  a  round 
bottom.  We  quote  a  passage  referring  to  her  from  a  work 
published  in  1817  : — "  During  a  great  part  of  her  route  she 
would  be  as  much  exposed  as  she  could  be  on  the  ocean :  it 
was  therefore  necessary  to  make  her  a  perfect  sea-boat.  She 
passes  daily,  and  at  all  times  of  the  tide,  the  dangerous  strait 
of  Hell- Gate,  where  for  the  distance  of  nearly  a  mile  she  often 
encounters  a  current  running  at  the  rate  of  at  least  six  miles  an 
hour.  For  some  distance  she  has  within  a  few  yards  of  her,  on 
each  side,  rocks  and  whirlpools  which  rival  Scylla  and  Charybdis 
even  as  they  are  poetically  described.  This  passage,  previously 
to  its  being  navigated  by  this  vessel,  was  always  supposed  to  be 
impassable  except  at  certain  stages  of  the  tide ;  and  many  a 
shipwreck  has  been  occasioned  by  a  small  mistake  in  the  time. 
The  boat  passing  through  these  whirlpools  with  rapidity,  while 
the  angry  waters  are  foaming  against  her  bows  and  appear  to 


490  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

raise  themselves  in  obstinate  resistance  to  her  passage,  is  a 
proud  triumph  of  human  ingenuity.  The  owners,  as  the  highest 
tribute  they  had  in  their  power  to  offer  to  his  genius,  and  as  an 
evidence  of  the  gratitude  they  owed  him,  called  her  the  Fulton." 

Early  in  1814,  the  United  States  and  England  being  at  war, 
Fulton  conceived  the  idea  of  a  steam  vessel-of-war,  capable  of 
carrying  a  strong  battery,  with  furnaces  for  redhot  shot,  and 
sailing  four  miles  an  hour.  Congress  authorized  the  construc 
tion  of  such  a  floating  battery,  and  the  keel  was  laid  on  the 
18th  of  June.  The  vessel  was  launched  on  the  27th  of  October 
the  same  year,  in  the  midst  of  excited  and  applauding  throngs. 
Before  she  sailed,'  however,  her  engineer  and  builder  had  been 
removed  to  another  sphere :  Fulton  died  on  the  24th  of  Febru 
ary,  1815.  The  Legislature  paid  an  unusual  tribute  to  his 
memory:  they  resolved  to  wear  mourning  for  three  weeks. 
This  manifestation  of  regret  for  the  loss  of  a  man  who  had 
never  held  office  nor  served  his  country  in  any  public  capacity 
was  entirely  unprecedented. 

On  the  4li^of  July,  the  steam-frigate  made  a  trial  trip,  and, 
with  her  engines  alone,  sailed  fifty-three  miles  in  eight  hours 
and  twenty  minutes.  The  following  description  of  the  Fulton 
the  First,  as  she  was  called,  is  given  by  the  committee  appointed 
to  examine  her  in  behalf  of  Congress: — "She  is  a  structure 
resting  on  two  boats  and  keels  separated  from  end  to  end  by  a 
channel  fifteen  feet  wide  and  sixty-six  feet  long.  One  boat  con 
tains  the  caldrons  of  copper  to  prepare  her  steam ;  the  cylinder 
of  iron,  its  piston,  lever,  and  wheels,  occupy  part  of  the  other. 
The  water-wheel  revolves  in  the  space  between  them.  The 
main  or  gun  deck  supports  the  armament,  and  is  protected  by  a 
parapet,  four  feet  ten  inches  thick,  of  solid  timber,  pierced  by 
embrasures.  Through  thirty  port-holes  as  many  thirty-two 
pounders  are  intended  to  fire  redhot  shot,  which  can  be  heated 
with  great  safety  and  convenience.  Her  upper  or  spar  deck, 
upon  which  several  thousand  men  might  parade,  is  encompassed 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  491 

by  a  bulwark,  which  affords  safe  quarters :  she  is  rigged  with 
two  stout  masts,  each  of  which  supports  a  large  lateen  yard 
and  sails :  she  has  two  bowsprits  and  jibs,  and  four  rudders,  one 
at  each  extremity  of  each  boat,  so  that  she  can  be  steered  with 
either  end  foremost :  her  machinery  is  calculated  for  the  addi 
tion  of  an  engine  which  will  discharge  an  immense  column  of 
water,  which  it  is  intended  to  throw  upon  the  decks  and  through 
the  port-holes  of  an  enemy  and  thereby  deluge  her  armament 
and  ammunition.  If  in  addition  to  all  this  we  suppose  her  to 
be  furnished,  according  to  Mr.  Fulton's  intention,  with  hundred- 
pound  Columbiads,  two  suspended  from  each  bow  so  as  to  dis 
charge  a  ball  of  that  size  into  an  enemy's  ship  ten  or  twelve  feet 
below  her  water-line,  it  must  be  allowed  that  she  has  the  ap 
pearance,  at  least,  of  being  the  most  formidable  engine  for  war 
fare  that  human  ingenuity  has  contrived." 

Such  was  the  first  step  towards  the  establishment  of  a  steam- 
navy.  Forty  years  afterwards,  George  Steers  built  the  pro 
peller-frigate  Niagara ;  and  the  reader,  by  comparing  the  two 
vessels,  will  have  an  adequate  idea  of  the  immense  strides 
made  in  naval  mechanics  and  engineering  during  the  lapse  of 
less  than  half  a  century.  In  Europe  the  size  and  qualities  of 
the  Fulton  the  First  were  at  the  time  ludicrously  exaggerated, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  passage  from  a  Scotch  treatise 
on  steamships.  After  magnifying  her  proportions  threefold, 
the  author  continues  : — "The  thickness  of  her  sides  is  thirteen 
feet  of  alternate  oak  plank  and  cork  wood :  she  carries  forty- 
four  guns,  four  of  which  are  hundred-pounders ;  quarter 
deck  and  forecastle  guns,  forty-four-pounders ;  and,  further  to 
annoy  an  enemy  attempting  to  board,  can  discharge  one  hun 
dred  gallons  of  boiling  water  in  a  minute,  and,  by  mechanism, 
brandishes  three  hundred  cutlasses  with  the  utmost  regularity 
over  her  gunwales,  works  also  an  equal  number  of  heavy  iron 
spikes  of  great  length,  darting  them  from  her  sides  with  pro 
digious  force  and  withdrawing  them  every  quarter  of  a  minute !" 


492  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

The  frigate  made  a  second  experimental  trip,  on  the  llth  of 
September,  with  her  armament  and  stores  on  board,  her  draught 
of  water  being  eleven  feet.  She  changed  her  course  by  re 
versing  the  motion  of  her  wheels.  She  fired  salutes  as  she 
passed  the  forts,  and  performed  manoeuvres  around  the  United 
States  frigate  Java.  The  machinery  was  not  affected  in  the 
slightest  degree  by  the  detonation  of  her  guns.  Her  average 
speed  was  five  and  a  half  miles  an  hour, — Fulton  having  con 
tracted  to  obtain  three  miles  an  hour  only.  The  city  of  New 
York  now  felt  itself  invulnerable  ;  but  the  cessation  of  hostilities, 
which  occurred  soon  after,  precluded  the  necessity  of  employing 
her  as  a  means  of  defence.  It  is  probable  that  such  a  con 
trivance,  even  in  the  present  advanced  state  of  naval  warfare, 
would  be  found  useful  in  protecting  the  mouths  of  harbors, — 
not  as  a  frigate,  but  as  a  floating  battery  or  movable  fortress. 
The  fact  that  this  vessel  was  built  by  Fulton  makes  him  the 
father  not  only  of  steam-navigation,  but  of  the  steam-navies 
of  the  wor^d  as  well.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  chronicle  at 
intervals,  as  we  progress  in  our  record,  the  successive  steps  of 
improvement  in  the  science,  till  we  arrive  at  the  era  of  steam 
floating  palaces  upon  American  rivers,  of  steam  pleasure-yachts 
owned  by  American  merchants,  of  commercial  steam-leviathans, 
American  and  English,  bearing  the  names  of  continents  and 
oceans,  and  of  the  peerless  steam-frigate  to  which  we  have 
already  alluded, — "  a  noble  ship  with  a  noble  name,  bound,  in 
1857,  upon  the  noblest  of  missions." 

The  history  of  the  first  ocean-steamer  is  very  incompletely 
and  unsatisfactorily  told  in  the  annals  of  the  time.  The  fol 
lowing  is  the  substance  of  all  that  has  been  preserved  of  the 
first  transatlantic  steam-voyage  on  record  : 

The  Savannah,  a  steamer  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons, 
intended  to  ply  between  New  York  and  Liverpool,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Moses  Rodgers,  was  launched  at  New 
York  on  the  22d  of  August,  1818.  She  made  a  preliminary 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  493 

voyage  to  the  city  whose  name  she  bore,  in  April,  1819,  where 
she  arrived  in  seven  days,  after  a  very  boisterous  passage.  She 
was  several  times  compelled  to  take  in  her  wheels — having 
machinery  for  the  purpose — and  rely  upon  her  sails,  which  was 
done  with  all  the  promptitude  and  safety  anticipated.  This 
trial  trip  left  no  doubt  that  she  would  successfully  accomplish 
the  object  for  which  she  was  built.  She  left  Savannah  for 
Liverpool  soon  after,  and  the  New  York  newspapers  of  the 
second  week  in  June  announced  that  she  had  been  spoken 
at  sea,  all  well.  In  the  log-book  of  the  Pluto,  which  arrived 
soon  after  at  Baltimore  from  Bremen,  occurred  the  following 
passage : 

"June  2. — Clear  weather -and  smooth  sea:    lat.  42°,  long. 
59°,  spoke  and  passed  the  elegant  steamship  Savannah,  eight 


THE     SAVANNAH:     THE     FIRST     O  C  E  A  N  -  ST  E  A  M  E  R. 

days  out  from  Savannah  to  St.  Petersburg  by  way  of  Liver 
pool.  She  passed  us  at  the  rate  of  nine  or  ten  knots ;  and  the 
captain  informed  us  she  worked  remarkably  well,  and  the 
greatest  compliment  we  could  bestow  was  to  give  her  three 
cheers,  as  the  happiest  effort  of  mechanical  genius  that  ever 
appeared  on  the  Western  ocean.  She  returned  the  compli 
ment." 

Niles'  New  York  Register  of  the  21st  of  August  contains 
the  following  paragraph  in  italics  at  the  head  of  its  column 
of  foreign  news: — "The  steamship  Savannah,  Captain  Moses 


494  MAX    UPON   THE    SEA. 

Rodgers, — the  first  that  ever  crossed  the  Atlantic, — arrived  at 
Liverpool  in  twenty-five  days  from  Savannah,  all  well,  to  the 
great  astonishment  of  the  people  of  that  place.  She  worked 
her  engine  eighteen  days."  The  next  record  of  her  movements 
is  that  she  sailed  in  August  for  St.  Petersburg,  passing  Elsinore 
on  the  13th,  and  that  the  British  "  wisely  supposed  her  visit  to 
be  somehow  connected  with  the  ambitious  views  of  the  United 
States."  She  arrived  back  at  Savannah  in  November,  in  fifty 
days  from  St.  Petersburg  via  Copenhagen  and  Arendal  in  Nor 
way,  all  well,  and,  in  the  language  of  Captain  Rodgers,  "  with 
neither  a  screw,  bolt,  or  a  rope-yarn  parted,  though  she  encoun 
tered  a  very  heavy  gale  in  the  North  Sea."  She  left  Savannah 
for  Washington  on  the  4th  of  December,  losing  her  boats  and 
anchors  off  Cape  Hatteras. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  and  one  not  creditable  to  the  English, 
that  many  of  their  works  treating  of  inventions  and  the  pro 
gress  -"af  the  arts  and  sciences  entirely  overlook  this  voyage 
out  and  oack  of  the  Savannah,  and  uniformly  make  the  British 
steamers  Sirius  and  Great  Western  the  pioneers,  in  1837,  in  the 
great  work  of  ocean  steam-navigation.  The  authors  of  these 
works  err  either  through  design  or  ignorance,  and  in  either 
case  display  a  marked  unfitness  for  their  vocation.  Were  they 
to  consult  the  London  and  Liverpool  newspapers  of  the  time, 
they  would  find  ample  record  of  the  accomplishment  of  a  steam- 
voyage  nearly  twenty  years  before  the  period  to  which  they 
assign  it.  We  have  said  enough,  however,  to  prove  that  the 
first  steam-vessel  that  crossed  the  ocean  was  built  in  New  York, 
and  that  Moses  Rodgers,  her  captain,  was  an  American  citizen. 
When  we  arrive  at  the  year  in  which  the  two  British  steamers 
inaugurated  steam  commercial  intercourse  between  the  hemi 
spheres,  we  shall  record  it,  with  due  acknowledgment  of  its  im 
portance  ;  but  we  repeat  the  assertion  that,  as  the  first  river- 
steamer  was  the  Clermont,  the  first  Atlantic  steamer  was  the 
Savannah :  both  one  and  the  other  were  built  in  New  York. 


Section 


FROM     THE    APPLICATION    OF    STEAM    TO    NAVIGATION     TO    THE 
LAYING    OF    THE    ATLANTIC    CABLE:     1807-1857. 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

ARCTIC      EXPLORATIONS RUSSIAN       RESEARCHES      UNDER      KRUSENSTERN      AND 

KOTZEBUE FRETCINET — ROSS THE     CRIMSON     CLIFFS — LANCASTER     SOUND — 

BUCHAN     AND     FRANKLIN PARRY THE     POLAR    SEA WINTER     QUARTERS  — 

RETURN    HOME DUPERREY EPISODES     IN     THE    WHALE-FISHERY PARRY'S 

POLAR    VOYAGE BOAT-SLEDGES — METHOD     OF    TRAVEL — DISHEARTENING    DIS 
COVERY — 82°  43'  NORTH. 

WE  have  now  entered  the  nineteenth  century.  From  this  time 
forward  we  shall  find  little  or  no  romantic  interest  attaching  to 
the  history  of  the  sea,  with  the  single  exception  of  that  of  the 
Arctic  waters.  The  epoch  of  adventure  stimulated  by  the  thirst 
for  gold  has  long  since  passed :  there  are  no  more  continents  to 
be  pursued,  and  few  islands  to  be  unbosomed  from  the  deep. 
There  was  once  a  harvest  to  be  reaped ;  but  there  remain 
henceforward  but  scanty  leavings  to  be  gleaned.  The  navi 
gator  of  the  present  century  cannot  hope  to  acquire  a  rapid 
fame  by  brilliant  discoveries :  he  must  be  content  if  he  obtain  a 
tardy  distinction  by  patient  observation  and  minute  surveys, — 
a  task  far  more  useful  than  showy,  and,  while  less  attractive, 
much  more  arduous.  Our  narrative,  therefore,  of  the  remaining 
maritime  enterprises  will  be  correspondingly  succinct.  The 
reader's  interest,  as  we  have  said,  will  attach  almost  exclu 
sively  to  the  Polar  adventures  of  the  heroes  of  the  Northwest 

495 


496 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


Passage  :  of  Ross,  who  saw  the  Crimson  Cliffs ;  of  Parry,  who 
discovered  the  Polar  Sea ;  of  James  Clarke  Ross,  who  stood 
upon  the  North  Magnetic  Pole ;  of  McClure,  who  threaded  the 
Northwest  Passage ;  of  Franklin  and  of  Kane,  the  martyrs  to 
Arctic  science.  Though  we  shall  dwell  more  particularly  upon 
these  voyages,  we  shall  nevertheless  mention  in  due  order  those 
undertaken  for  other  purposes  in  all  quarters  of  the  globe. 

In  1803,  Alexander  of  Russia  determined  to  enter  the  career 
of  maritime  discovery  and  geographical  research.  He  sent 
Captain  Krusenstern  upon  a  voyage  round  the  world,  in  the 
London-built  ship  Nadeshda.  Nothing  resulted  from  this 
voyage  except  the  augmented  probability  that  Saghalien  was 
not  an  island,  but  a  peninsula  joined  to  the  mainland  of  China 
by  an  isthmus  of  sand. 

In  1815,  the  Russian  Count  Romanzoff  fitted  out  an  expedi 
tion  at  his  own  expense  for  the  advancement  of  geographical 
science.  The  specific  object  of  the  voyage  was  to  explore  the 
American  coast  both  to  the  north  and  south  ofBehring's  Straits, 
and  to  seek  a  connection  thence  with  Baffin  s  Bay.  The  com 
mand  wa^  given  to  ffito  Yon  Kotzebug,  a  son  of  the  distin- 
guishedkuerman  dramatist  Kotzebue.  In  Oceanica  he  discovered 
an  uninhabited  archipelago,  which  he  named  Rurick's  Chain, 


RECEPTION     OF     KOTZEBUE     AT     OTDIA. 


from  one  of  his  vessels.    In  Kotzebue  Gulf,  northeast  of  Behring's 
Straits,  he  discovered  an  island  which  was  supposed  to  contain 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  497 

immense  quantities  of  iron,  from  the  violent  oscillations  of  the 
needle.  Upon  a  second  visit  to  Otdia,  one  of  the  Rurick 
Islands,  in  1824,  the  inhabitants  remembered  him  upon  his 
shouting  the  syllables  Totobu, — their  manner  of  pronouncing 
his  name.  They  received  him  with  great  joy,  rushing  into  the 
water  up  to  their  hips  :  they  then  lifted  him  out  of  his  boat  and 
carried  him  dry-shod  to  the  shore. 

In  1817,  Louis  XVIII.  sent  Captain  Freycinet  upon  the  first 
voyage  which,  though  undertaken  for  the  advancement  of  science, 
had  neither  hydrography  nor  geography  for  its  object.  Its 
purpose  was  to  determine  the  form  of  the  globe  at  the  South 
Pole,  the  observation  of  magnetic  and  atmospheric  phenomena, 
the  study  of  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature,  and  the  investigation 
of  the  resources  and  languages  of  such  indigenous  people  as  the 
vessel  should  visit.  The  expedition  was  conducted  with  skill ;  but 
its  results,  being  purely  scientific,  do  not  require  mention  here. 

In  the  winter  of  1816,  the  whalers  returning  from  the  Green 
land  seas  to  England  reported  the  ice  to  be  clearer  than  they 
had  ever  known  it  before.  The  period  seemed  favorable  for  a 
renewal  of  Arctic  exploration ;  and  in  1818  the  Admiralty 
fitted  out  two  vessels — the  Isabella  and  Alexander — for  the 
purpose.  Captain  John  Ross  was  sent  in  the  first  to  discover  a 
northwest  passage,  and  Lieutenant  Edward  Parry  in  the  second, 
to  penetrate  if  possible  to  the  Pole.  Their  instructions  required 
them  to  examine  with  especial  care  the  openings  at  the  head 
of  Baffin's  Bay.  Sailing  on  the  18th  of  April,  they  reached 
the  coast  of  Greenland  on  the  17th  of  June.  They  saw  tribes 
of  Esquimaux  who  had  never  seen  men  of  any  race  but  their 
own,  and  who  felt  and  testified  an  indescribable  alarm  at  the 
sight  of  the  adventurers.  It  was  subsequently  proved  that 
what  they  feared  was  contagion.  Quite  at  the  northern  ex 
tremity  of  the  bay,  Ross  observed  the  phenomenon  which  has 
given  so  romantic,  almost  legendary,  a  character  to  his  voyage, 

— that  of  red  snow.     He  saw  a  range  of  peaks  clothed  in  a 

32 


498  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

garb  which  appeared  as  if  borrowed  from  the  looms  and  dyes 
of  Tyre.  The  spot  is  marked  upon  the  maps  as  "  The  Crimson 
Cliffs."  The  color  was  at  the  time  supposed  to  be  a  quality 
inherent  in  the  snow  itself;  but  subsequent  investigations  have 
established  its  vegetable  origin. 

The  ships  were  now  at  the  northern  point  of  Baffin's  Bay, 
among  the  numerous  inlets  which  Baffin  had  failed  to  explore. 
They  all  appeared  to  be  blocked  up  with  ice,  and  none  of  them 
held  out  any  flattering  promise  of  concealing  within  itself  the 
long-sought  Northwest  Passage.  Smith's  Strait,  where  the  bay 
ends,  was  carefully  examined ;  but  it  proved  to  be  enclosed  by 
ice.  Returning  towards  the  south  by  the  western  coast  of  the 
bay,  they  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound  on  the 
30th  of  August,  just  as  the  sun,  after  shining  unceasingly  for 
^  nearly  three  months,  was  beginning  to  dip  under  the  horizon. 
The  vessels  sailed  up  the  sound  some  fifty  miles,  through  a  sea 
clear  from  ice,  the  channel  being  surrounded  on  either  hand  by 
mountains  of  imposing  elevation.  It  was  here  that  Ross  com 
mitted  the  fatal  mistake  which  was  to  cloud  his  own  reputation 
and  to  put  Parry,  his  second,  forward  as  the  first  of  Arctic 
navigators.  He  asserted,  and  certainly  believed,  that  he  saw  a 
high  ridge  of  mountains  stretching  directly  across  the  passage. 
This,  he  thought,  rendered  farther  progress  impracticable,  and 
the  order  was  given  to  put  the  ships  about.  Ross  returned  to 
England,  convinced  that  Baffin  was  correct  in  regarding  Lan 
caster  Bay  as  a  bay  only,  without  any  strait  beyond.  It  was 
destined  that  Parry  should  thread  this  strait  and  find  the  Polar 
Sea  beyond. 

In  the  same  year  the  British  Government  sent  an  expedition 
under  Captain  Buchan  and  Lieutenant — afterwards  Sir  John — 
Franklin,  to  endeavor  to  reach  the  Pole.  The  objects  were  to 
make  experiments  on  the  elliptical  figure  of  the  earth,  on  mag 
netic  and  meteorological  phenomena,  and  on  the  refraction  of  the 
atmosphere  in  high  latitudes.  The  two  vessels — the  Dorothea 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


499 


and  Trent — sailed  in  April,  1818,  and  made  their  way  towards 
Magdalena  Bay,  in  Spitzbergen.  In  latitude  74°  north,  near  an 
island  frequented  by  herds  of  walruses,  a  boat's  crew  was 
attacked  by  a  number  of  these  animals,  and  only  escaped 
destruction  by  the  presence  of  mind  of  the  purser.  He  seized 
a  loaded  musket,  and,  plunging  the  muzzle  into  the  throat  of  the 
leader  of  the  school,  discharged  its  contents  into  his  bowels. 
As  the  walrus  sinks  as  soon  as  he  is  dead,  the  mortally-wounded 
animal  at  once  began  to  disappear  beneath  the  water.  His 


companions  abandoned  the  combat  to  support  their  chief  with 
their  tusks,  whom  they  hastily  bore  away  from  the  scene  of 
action. 

The  climate  here  was  mild,  the  atmosphere  pure  and  brilliant, 
and  the  blue  of  the  sky  as  intense  as  that  of  Naples.  Alpine 
plants,  grasses,  moss,  and  lichens,  flourished  in  abundance,  and 
afforded  browsing  pasturage  to  reindeer  at  the  height  of  fifteen 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  shores  were  alive  with  aAvks, 
divers,  cormorants,  gulls,  walruses,  and  seals.  Eider-ducks, 


500  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

foxes,  and  bears  preyed  and  prowled  upon  the  ice ;  and  the  sea 
furnished  a  home  to  jaggers,  kittiwakes,  and  whales.  Having 
ascended  as  high  as  80°  34'  N.,  and  finding  it  impossible  to 
penetrate  farther  to  the  north,  Buchan  resolved  to  quit  the 
waters  of  Spitzbergen  and  stand  away  for  those  of  Greenland. 
A  pack  of  floating  icebergs,  upon  which  the  waves  were  beating 
furiously,  beset  the  ships.  The  Trent  came  violently  in  colli 
sion  with  a  mass  many  hundred  times  her  size.  Every  man  on 
board  lost  his  footing ;  the  masts  bent  at  the  shock,  while  the 
timbers  cracked  beneath  the  pressure.  This  accident  rendered 
a  prosecution  of  the  voyage  impracticable,  and  the  two  ships 
returned  to  England,  where  they  arrived  in  October.  The  ex 
pedition  thus  failed  of  the  main  object  it  was  intended  to 
accomplish. 

As  we  have  already  remarked,  Ross  neglected  the  oppor 
tunity  afforded  him  of  penetrating  to  the  interior  of  Lancaster 
Sound, — thus  leaving  for  another  the  glory  of  attaching  his 
name  to  the  discoveries  to  be  made  there.  The  Government, 
being  dissatisfied  with  his  management,  and  being  encouraged 
by  Lieutenant  Parry  to  believe  that  the  supposed  chain  of 
mountains  barring  the  passage  had  no  existence  but  in  Ross's 
imagination,  gave  him  the  command  of  two  ships,  strongly 
manned  and  amply  stored,  for  the  prosecution  of  discovery  in 
that  direction.  He  left  England  on  the  llth  of  May,  1819, 
with  the  ship  Hecla  and  the  gun-brig  Griper.  On  the  15th  of 
June  he  unexpectedly  saw  land, — which  proved  to  be  Cape 
Farewell,  the  southern  point  of  Greenland,  though  at  a  distance 
of  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  The  ships  were  immovably 
"beset"  by  ice  on  the  25th:  their  situation  was  utterly  help 
less,  all  the  power  that  could  be  applied  not  availing  to  turn 
their  heads  a  single  degree  of  the  compass. 

The  officers  and  men  occupied  themselves  in  various  manners 
during  this  period  of  inaction.  Observations  were  made  on  the 
dip  and  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle,  and  lunar  distances 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  501 

were  calculated.  White  bears  were  enticed  within  rifle-distance 
by  the  odor  of  fried  red-herrings,  and  then  easily  shot.  On  the 
30th  the  ice  slackened,  and,  after  eight  hours'  incessant  labor, 
both  ships  were  moved  into  the  open  sea.  On  the  12th,  Parry 
obtained  a  supply  of  pure  water  which  was  flowing  from  an  ice 
berg,  and  the  sailors  shook  from  the  ropes  and  rigging  several 
tons'  weight  of  congealed  fog.  The  passage  to  Lancaster  Sound 
was  laborious,  and  was  only  effected  by  the  most  persevering 
efforts  on  the  part  of  all. 

An  entrance  into  the  sound  was  effected  on  the  1st  of  August ; 
and  Parry  felt,  as  did  the  officers  and  men,  that  this  was  the 
point  of  the  voyage  which  was  to  determine  the  success  or 
failure  of  the  expedition.  Reports,  all  more  or  less  favorable, 
were  constantly  passed  down  from  the  crow's  nest  to  the  quarter 
deck.  The  weather  was  clear,  and  the  ships  sailed  in  perfect 
safety  through  the  night.  Towards  morning  all  anxiety  respect 
ing  the  alleged  chain  of  mountains  across  the  inlet  was  at  an 
end ;  for  the  two  shores  were  still  forty  miles  apart,  at  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  channel. 
The  water  was  now  as  free  from  ice  as  the  Atlantic ;  and  they 
began  to  flatter  themselves  that  they  had  fairly  entered  the 
Polar  Sea.  A  heavy  swell  and  the  familiar  ocean-like  color 
which  was  now  thought  to  characterize  the  water  were  also 
encouraging  circumstances.  The  compasses  became  so  sluggish 
and  irregular  that  the  usual  observations  upon  the  variation  of 
the  needle  were  abandoned.  The  singular  phenomenon  was  soon 
for  the  first  time  witnessed  of  the  needle  becoming  so  weak  as 
to  be  completely  controlled  by  local  attraction,  so  that  it  really 
pointed  to  the  north  pole  of  the  ship, — that  is,  to  the  point 
where  there  was  the  largest  quantity  of  iron. 

Ice  for  a  time  prevented  the  farther  western  progress  of  the 
vessels,  and  they  sailed  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  the 
south,  in  a  sound  which  they  called  Prince  Regent's  Inlet. 
Parry  suspected,  though  incorrectly,  that  this  inlet  communi- 


502  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

cated  with  Hudson's  Bay.  Returning  to  the  mouth  of  the  inlet, 
he  found  the  sea  to  the  westward  still  encumbered  with  ice ;  but 
a  heavy  blow,  accompanied  with  rain,  soon  broke  it  up  and  dis 
persed  it.  They  proceeded  slowly  on,  naming  every  cape  and 
bay  which  they  passed :  an  inlet  of  large  size  they  called  Wel 
lington,  "after  his  Grace  the  Master  of  the  Ordnance."  Being 
now  convinced  that  the  passage  through  which  they  had  thus 
far  ascended  was  a  strait  connecting  two  seas,  Parry  gave  it  the 
name  of  Barrow's  Strait,  after  Mr.  Barrow,  Secretary  of  the 
Admiralty.  The  prospects  of  success  during  the  coming  six 
weeks  were  now  felt  by  the  commander  of  the  expedition  to  be 
"truly  exhilarating." 

An  island — by  far  the  largest  Parry  had  seen  in  these  waters 
— appeared  early  in  September,  and  the  men  worked  their 
arduous  way  along  its  southern  coast,  till,  on  the  4th,  they 
reached  the  longitude  of  110°  west.  The  two  ships  then  be 
came  entitled  to  the  sum  of  ,£5000, — the  reward  offered  by 
Parliament  to  the  first  of  his  Majesty's  subjects  that  should 
penetrate  thus  far  to  the  westward  within  the  Arctic  Circle. 
The  island  was  called  Melville  Island,  from  the  First  Lord 
of  the  Admiralty.  In  a  bay  named  The  Bay  of  the  Ilecla  and 
Griper,  the  anchor  was  dropped  for  the  first  time  since  leaving 
England ;  the  ensigns  and  pennants  were  hoisted,,  and  the  Bri 
tish  flag  waved  in  a  region  believed  to  be  without  the  pale  of  the 
habitable  world. 

The  summer  was  now  at  its  close,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  make  a  selection  of  winter  quarters.  A  harbor  was  found, 
a  passage-way  cut  through  two  miles  of  ice,  and  the  ships  settled 
in  five  fathoms'  water :  they  were  soon  firmly  frozen  in  at  a 
cable's-length  from  the  shore.  Hunting,  botanizing,  excursions 
upon  the  island,  experiments  in  an  observatory  erected  on  shore, 
and  amateur  theatricals,  afforded  some  relief  from  the  unavoid 
able  inactivity  to  which  officers  and  crew  were  now  condemned. 
Parry  had  named  the  group  of  islands  of  which  Melville  is  the 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


508 


largest,  the  North  Georgian  Islands,  in  honor  of  King  George ; 
and    during    the    days  of   constant   darkness    a  weekly  news- 


C  UTTI  N  G     IN. 


paper,    entitled    "  The    North    Georgia    Gazette    and   Winter 
Chronicle,"  was  edited  by  Captain  Sabine,  the  astronomer. 

The  sun  reappeared  on  the  3d  of  February,  1820,  after  an 
absence  of  ninety-one  days.  The  theatre  was  soon  closed  and 
the  newspaper  discontinued.  The  ice  around  the  ships  was 
seven  feet  thick,  though  by  the  middle  of  May  the  crews  had 
cut  it  away  so  as  to  allow  the  ships  to  float,  and  had  sawed  a 
channel  for  their  boats.  On  the  1st  of  August,  there  was  not 


CUTTING     OUT. 


the  slightest  symptom  of  a  thaw ;  on  the  2d,  the  ice  broke  up 
and  disappeared  with  a  suddenness  altogether  inexplicable. 
Parry  determined  to  return  home  at  once,  and  arrived  at  Leith, 
in  Scotland,  towards  the  close  of  October.  He  was  received 
with  great  favor,  and  was  rewarded  for  his  signal  services  by 
promotion  to  the  rank  of  captain. 


504  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Parry  made  a  second  voyage  in  1821,  with  instructions  to 
seek  a  passage  by  Hudson's  Strait  instead  of  by  Lancaster  Sound. 
It  was  totally  unsuccessful.  He  made  a  third  attempt,  in  1824, 
with  the  Fury  and  the  Hecla.  The  Fury  was  lost  in  Lancaster 
Sound,  and  Parry  returned  baffled  and  for  a  time  disheartened. 

In  1822,  a  French  captain,  named  Duperrey,  made  a  voyage, 
under  the  orders  of  the  Government,  which  is  in  many  respects 
the  most  remarkable  on  record.  He  sailed  seventy-five  thou 
sand  miles  in  thirty-one  months,  without  losing  a  man  or 
having  a  single  name  upon  the  sick-list ;  nor  did  the  ship  once 
need  repairs.  The  discoveries  made  were  not  important,  but 
the  surveys  effected  and  the  observations  upon  terrestrial  mag 
netism  recorded  were  interesting  and  valuable. 

At  about  this  period,  the  perils  incident  to  the  whale- 
fishery  were  strangely  augmented  by  a  circumstance  which  we 
cannot  forbear  mentioning.  The  whale,  whose  intellectual 
faculties  had  been  sharpened  by  the  warfare  waged  against 
him  for  two  hundred  years,  was  suddenly  found  to  be  animated 
by  a  new  and  vehement  passion, — that  of  revenge.  "Mocha 
Dick,"  who  earned  a  terrible  reputation  for  ferocity,  only  suc 
cumbed  after  many  years  of  successful  resistance.  His  body 
proved  to  be  covered  with  scars,  his  flesh  bristled  with  harpoons, 
and  his  head  was  declared  to  be  wonderfully  expressive  of  "  old 
age,  cunning,  and  rapacity."  Not  long  after  this,  a  sperm- 
whale  was  wounded  by  a  boat's  crew  from  the  Essex.  A 
brother  leviathan,  eighty-five  feet  long,  approached  the  ship 
within  twenty  rods,  eyed  it  steadfastly  for  a  moment,  and  then 
withdrew,  as  if  satisfied  with  his  observations.  He  soon  returned 
at  full  speed:  he  struck  the  ship  with  his  head,  throwing  the 
men  flat  upon  their  faces.  Gnashing  his  jaws  together  as  if 
wild  with  rage,  he  made  another  onset,  and,  with  every  appear 
ance  of  an  avenger  of  his  race,  stove  in  the  vessel's  bows.  This 
was  the  first  example  on  record  of  the  whale's  displaying  posi 
tive  design  in  seeking  an  encounter.  He  certainly  acted  from 


j#  f  V-  •  ,  '.' 

r/  ,.;•',. 

HB&  •  •  '>'  • 

^Y- 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  505 

the  promptings  of  revenge,  and,  moreover,  directed  his  attacks 
upon  the  weakest  part  of  the  ship. 

The  whale  of  Captain  Deblois,  of  the  ship  Ann  Alexander,  was 
a  still  more  remarkable  animal.  When  harpooned,  instead  of 
seeking  to  escape,  he  turned  upon  the  boat,  and,  in  the  language 
of  an  eye-witness,  "  chawed  it  to  flinders."  The  second  boat 
met  the  same  fate.  The  whale  then  dashed  upon  the  ship,  and 
broke  through  her  timbers,  letting  the  water  in  in  torrents.  In  an 
hour  the  vessel  lay  a  wreck  upon  the  ocean.  Four  months  after 
wards,  the  crew  of  the  Rebecca  Sims  captured  a  whale  of  large 
size  but  of  enfeebled  energies.  He  was  found  to  have  a  damaged 
head,  with  large  fragments  of  a  ship's  fore-timbers  buried  in 
his  flesh ;  while  two  harpoons,  sunk  almost  to  his  vitals,  and 
labelled  "Ann  Alexander,"  designated  him  as  the  fierce  but 
now  exhausted  antagonist  of  Captain  Deblois,  of  New  Bedford. 

In  1827 — to  return  to  the  Arctic  explorations — a  new  idea 
was  broached  with  reference  to  the  Pole  and  the  most  likely 
method  of  reaching  it.  Captain  Parry,  despairing  of  getting 
there  in  ships,  conceived  the  plan  of  constructing  boats  with  run 
ners,  which  might  be  dragged  upon  the  ice,  or,  in  case  of  need, 
be  rowed  through  the  water.  The  Government  approved  of  the 
idea,  and  two  boats  were  specially  constructed  for  the  service : 
each  one,  with  its  furniture  and  stores,  weighed  three  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty-three  pounds.  They  were  placed  on 
board  the  sloop-of-war  Hecla ;  and  the  expedition  left  the  Nore 
on  the  4th  of  April,  1827,  for  Spitzbergen.  At  Hammersfeld, 
in  Norway,  they  took  on  board  eight  reindeer  and  a  quantity 
of  moss  for  their  fodder. 

After  experiencing  a  series  of  tremendous  gales,  being  beset 
in  the  ice  till  the  8th  of  June,  the  Hecla  was  safely  anchored 
on  the  northern  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  in  Hecla  Cove.  Parry 
gave  his  instructions  to  his  lieutenants,  Foster  and  Crozier,  and 
on  the  22d  left  the  ship  in  the  two  boats,  having  named  them 
the  Enterprise  and  Endeavor,  with  provisions  for  seventy-one 


506  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

days.  The  ice  appeared  so  rugged  that  the  reindeer  promised 
to  be  of  little  assistance,  and  were  consequently  left  behind. 
The  following  is  an  abridged  account  of  the  extraordinary 
method  of  travelling  adopted  upon  this  singular  voyage : 

"It  was  my  intention,"  says  Parry,  "to  travel  by  night  and 
rest  by  day,  thus  avoiding  the  glare  resulting  from  the  sun 
shining  from  his  highest  altitudes  upon  the  snow ;  and  pro 
ceeding  during  the  milder  light  shed  during  his  vicinity  to  the 
horizon, — for  of  course,  during  the  summer,  he  never  set  at  all. 
This  practice  so  completely  inverted  the  natural  order  of  things 
that  the  officers,  though  possessing  chronometers,  did  not  know 
night  from  day.  When  we  rose  in  the  evening,  we  commenced 
our  day  by  prayers;  after  which  we  took  off  our  raccoon-skin 
sleeping-dresses,  and  put  on  our  box-cloth  travelling-suits.  We 
breakfasted  upon  warm  cocoa  heated  with  spirits  of  wine — our 
only  fuel — and  biscuit :  we  then  travelled  five  hours,  and  stopped 
to  dine,  and  again  travelled  four,  five,  or  six  hours,  according 
to  circumstances.  It  then  being  early  in  the  morning,  we 
halted  for  the  night,  selecting  the  largest  surface  of  ice  we 
happened  to  be  near  for  hauling  the  boat  on.  Every  man  then 
put  on  dry  stockings  and  fur  boots,  leaving  the  wet  ones — which 
were  rarely  found  dry  in  the  morning — to  be  resumed  after 
their  slumbers.  After  supper  the  officers  and  men  smoked 
their  pipes,  which  served  to  dry  the  boat  and  awnings,  and 
often  raised  the  temperature  ten  degrees.  A  watch  was  set  to 
look  out  for  bears,  each  man  alternately  doing  this  duty  for  one 
hour.  It  now  being  bright  day,  the  evening  was  ushered  in 
with  prayers.  After  seven  hours'  sleep,  the  man  appointed  to 
boil  the  cocoa  blew  a  reveille*  upon  the  bugle,  and  thus  at  night 
fall  the  day  was  recommenced." 

The  difficulty  of  travelling  was  much  greater  than  had  been 
anticipated.  The  ice,  instead  of  being  solid,  was  composed  of 
small,  loose,  and  rugged  masses,  with  pools  of  water  between 
them.  In  their  first  eight  days  they  made  but  eight  miles' 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  507 

northing.  At  one  time  the  men  dragged  the  boats  only  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  two  hours.  On  the  17th  of  July 
they  reached  the  latitude  of  82°  14'  28",— the  highest  yet 
attained.  On  the  18th,  after  eleven  hours'  exhausting  labor, 
they  advanced  but  two  miles ;  and  on  the  20th,  having  appa 
rently  accomplished  twelve  miles  in  three  days,  an  observation 
revealed  the  alarming  fact  that  they  had  really  advanced  but 
five.  The  terrible  truth  burst  upon  Parry  and  his  officers :  the 
ice  over  which  they  were  with  such  effort  forcing  their  weary 
way  was  actually  drifting  to  the  south  !  This  intelligence  was 
concealed  from  the  men,  who  had  no  suspicion  of  it,  though 
they  often  laughingly  remarked  that  they  were  a  long  time 
getting  to  this  eighty-third  degree.  They  were  at  this  time  in 
82°  43'  5".  The  next  observation  extinguished  the  last  ray 
of  hope :  after  two  days'  labor,  they  found  themselves  in  82° 
40'.  The  drift  was  carrying  them  to  the  south  faster  than 
their  own  exertions  took  them  to  the  north !  In  fact,  the  drift 
ran  four  miles  a  day.  It  was  evidently  hopeless  to  pursue  the 
journey  any  farther.  The  floe  upon  which  they  slept  at  night 
rolled  them  back  to  the  point  they  had  quitted  in  the  morning. 
Parry  acquainted  the  men  with  the  disheartening  news,  and 
granted  them  one  day's  rest. 

The  ensigns  and  pennants  were  now  displayed,  the  party 
feeling  a  legitimate  pride  in  having  advanced  to  a  point  never 
before  reached  by  human  beings,  though  they  had  failed  in  an 
enterprise  now  proved  beyond  the  pale  of  possibility.  They 
returned  without  incident  of  moment  to  England.  Parry  did 
not  totally  abandon  the  idea  of  eventually  reaching  the  Pole 
over  the  ice,  and  as  late  as  1847  was  of  the  opinion  that  at 
a  different  season  of  the  year,  before  drifting  comes  on,  the 
project  may  yet  be  realized.  Still,  no  mortal  man  has  ever 
yet  set  foot  upon  the  pivot  of  the  axis  of  the  globe ;  and  it  is 
not  venturing  too  much  to  predict  that  no  man  ever  will. 


CHAPTER  L. 

ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE — THE  NORTH  MAGNETIC  POLE — D'URVILLE — ENDERBY'S 
LAND — BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR — THE  GREAT  WESTERN  AND  SIRIUS — 
UNITED  STATES'  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION — THE  ANTARCTIC  CONTINENT — SIR 
JOHN  FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAGE  IN  THE  EREBUS  AND  TERROR — ETFORTS  MADE 
TO  RELIEVE  HIM — DISCOVERY  OF  THE  SCENE  OF  HIS  FIRST  WINTER  QUARTERS 
— THE  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION — THE  ADVANCE  AND  RESCUE — LIEUTENANT  DE 
HAVEN — DR.  KANE — RETURN  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

IN  the  year  1828,  Sir  John  Ross  applied  to  the  Government 
for  the  means  of  making  a  second  voyage  to  the  Arctic  waters 
of  America,  and  was  refused.  The  next  year,  Mr.  Sheriff 
Booth,  a  gentleman  of  liberal  spirit,  offered  to  assume  the  pecu 
niary  responsibilities  of  the  expedition,  and  empowered  Ross  to 
make  what  outlay  he  thought  proper.  He  bought  and  equipped 
the  Victory,  a  packet-ship  plying  between  Liverpool  and  the 
Isle  of  Man.  She  had  a  small  high-pressure  engine,  and  paddle- 
wheels  which  could  be  lifted  out  of  the  water.  She  sailed  in 
May,  1829.  We  shall  give  but  a  brief  account  of  the  incidents 
of  the  voyage  till  we  arrive  at  the  event  which  has  made  James 
Clarke  Ross,  the  nephew  of  Sir  John,  illustrious, — the  discovery 
of  the  North  Magnetic  Pole, — that  mysterious  spot  towards 
which  forever  points  the  needle  of  the  mariner's  compass. 

While  in  Baffin's  Bay,  in  June,  the  Victory  lost  her  fore- 
508 


MAX    UPON    THE    SEA.  509 

topmast  in  a  gale ;  two  of  the  sailors  who  were  reefing  the  top 
sails  had  barely  time  to  escape  with  their  lives.     Proceeding 


through  Lancaster  Sound,  and  then  descending  to  the  south 
into  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  Ross  arrived,  after  coasting  three 
hundred  miles  of  undiscovered  shore,  at  a  spot  which  he  thought 
would  furnish  commodious  winter  quarters.  The  whole  terri 
tory  received  the  name  of  Boothia,  in  honor  of  the  patron  of  the 
expedition.  Here  they  remained  eleven  months,  beset  by  ice ; 
not  even  during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  1830,  did  the 
ship  stir  from  the  position  in  which  she  was  held  fast.  At  last, 
on  the  17th  of  September,  she  was  found  to  be  free,  and  the 
delighted  crew  prepared  for  a  speedy  deliverance.  The  unfor 
tunate  vessel  sailed  only  three  miles,  however,  when  she  was 
again  firmly  frozen  in.  The  engine,  which  had  proved  a 
wretched  and  most  inefficient  contrivance,  was  taken  out  and 
carried  ashore, — an  event  which  was  hailed  with  pleasure  by 
all.  "I  believe,"  says  Ross,  "that  there  was  not  a  man  who 
ever  again  wished  to  see  its  minutest  fragment."  Another 
year  of  monotony  and  silence  now  stared  the  weather-bound 
navigators  in  the  face.  Six  months  elapsed  before  even  a  land- 
excursion  could  be  attempted ;  but  in  May,  1831,  occurred  the 
great  discovery  to  which  we  have  referred. 

Commander  James  Clarke  Ross  was  the  second  officer  of  the 
ship.  He  started  in  April,  with  a  party,  to  make  explorations 
inland.  The  dipping-needle  had  long  varied  from  88°  to  89°, 


510  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

— thus  pointing  nearly  downwards, — 90°  being,  of  course,  the 
amount  of  variation  from  the  horizontal  line  of  the  ordinary 
compass  which  would  have  made  it  directly  vertical.  Com 
mander  Ross  was  extremely  desirous  to  stand  upon  the  wonder 
ful  spot  where  such  an  effect  would  be  observed,  and  joined  a 
number  of  Esquimaux  who  were  proceeding  in  the  direction 
where  he  imagined  it  lay.  He  determined,  if  possible,  so  to  set 
his  foot  that  the  Magnetic  Pole  should  lie  between  him  and  the 
centre  of  the  earth.  Arriving  at  a  place  where  the  dipping- 
needle  pointed  to  89°  46',  and  being  therefore  but  fourteen 
miles  from  its  calculated  position,  he  could  no  longer  brook  the 
delay  attendant  upon  the  transportation  of  the  baggage,  and 
set  forward  upon  a  rapid  march,  taking  only  such  articles  as 
were  strictly  necessary.  The  tremendous  spot  was  reached  at 
eight  in  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  June.  The  needle  marked 
89°  59', — one  minute  from  the  vertical, — a  variation  almost 
imperceptible.  We  give  the  particulars  of  this  most  interesting 
event  in  the  words  of  the  discoverer  himself: 

"  I  believe  I  must  leave  it  to  others  to  imagine  the  elation  of 
mind  with  which  we  found  ourselves  now  at  length  arrived  at 
this  great  object  of  our  ambition  :  it  almost  seemed  as  if  we  had 
accomplished  every  thing  we  had  come  so  far  to  see  and  do, — as 
if  our  voyage  and  all  its  labors  were  at  an  end,  and  that  nothing 
now  remained  for  us  but  to  return  home  and  be  happy  for  the 
remainder  of  our  days. 

"We  could  have  wished  that  a  place  so  important  had  pos 
sessed  more  of  mark  or  note.  It  was  scarcely  censurable  to 
regret  that  there  was  not  a  mountain  to  indicate  a  spot  to  which 
so  much  of  interest  must  ever  be  attached ;  and  I  could  even 
have  pardoned  any  one  among  us  who  had  been  so  romantic  or 
absurd  as  to  expect  that  the  Magnetic  Pole  was  an  object  as 
conspicuous  and  mysterious  as  the  fabled  mountain  of  Sinbad. — 
that  it  even  was  a  mountain  of  iron  or  a  magnet  as  large  as  Mont 

O  o 

Blanc.     But  Nature  had  here  erected  no  monument  to  denote 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  511 

the  spot  which  she  had  chosen  as  the  centre  of  one  of  her 
greatest  powers. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  satisfied  my  own  mind,  I  made  known  to 
the  party  the  gratifying  result  of  all  our  joint  lahor ;  and  it  was 
then  that,  amidst  mutual  congratulations,  we  fixed  the  British 
flag  on  the  spot  and  took  possession  of  the  North  Magnetic 
Pole  and  its  adjoining  territory  in  .the  name  of  Great  Britain 
and  King  William  the  Fourth.  We  had  abundance  of  materials 
for  building,  in  the  fragments  of  limestone  which  covered  the 
beach ;  and  we  therefore  erected  a  cairn  of  some  magnitude, 
under  which  we  buried  a  canister  containing  a  record  of  the 
interesting  fact, — only  regretting  that  we  had  not  the  means 
of  constructing  a  pyramid  of  more  importance  and  of  strength 
sufficient  to  withstand  the  assaults  of  time  and  the  Esquimaux. 
Had  it  been  a  pyramid  as  large  as  that  of  Cheops,  I  am  not 
sure  that  it  would  have  done  more  than  satisfy  our  ambition 
under  the  feelings  of  that  exciting  day.  The  latitude  of  this 
spot  is  70°  5'  17",  and  its  longitude  96°  46'  45"  west  from 
Greenwich." 

We  must  remark  in  this  connection  that  the  fixation  of  the 
latitude  of  the  Magnetic  Pole  was  the  only  important  element 
of  this  discovery ;  for,  as  the  Magnetic  Pole  revolves  about  the 
North  Pole  at  the  rate  of  IV  4"  a  year,  it  consequently  changes 
its  annual  longitude  by  that  amount.  A  quarter  of  a  century 
has  elapsed  since  its  longitude  was  settled  for  the  year  1831 ; 
and  this  lapse  of  time  involves  a  change  of  place  of  between 
four  and  five  degrees.  It  requires  no  less  than  eighteen  hun 
dred  and  ninety  years  to  accomplish  the  cycle  of  revolution. 
The  latitude  of  the  Pole  of  course  remains  unchanged.  It  will 
always  be  sufficient  glory  for  Ross  to  have  stood  upon  the  spot 
where  the  Pole  then  was :  the  fact  that  the  spot  then  so  mar 
vellous  has  since  ceased  to  be  so  is  assuredly  no  cause  for 
detracting  from  his  merit.  After  this  discovery  the  party 
returned  to  the  ship. 


512  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

In  September  the  ice  broke  up,  and  the  Victory,  which  had 
the  previous  year  sailed  three  miles,  this  year  sailed  four.  She 
was  again  immediately  frozen  in :  the  men's  courage  gave  way, 
and  the  scurvy  began  to  appear.  Their  only  hope  of  a  final 
deliverance  seemed  to  be  to  proceed  overland  to  the  spot  where 
the  Fury  had  been  lost  under  Parry  in  1824,  and  to  get  her 
supplies  and  boats.  The  distance  was  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  to  the  north.  They  drank  a  parting  glass  to  the  Victory 
on  the  29th  of  May,  1832,  and  nailed  her  colors  to  the  mast. 
After  a  laborious  journey  of  one  month,  they  reached  Fury 
Beach,  where  they  found  three  of  the  boats  washed  away,  but 
several  still  left.  These  were  ready  for  sea  on  the  1st  of 
August,  when  the  whok  party  embarked.  They  were  com 
pelled  to  return  in  October,  and  made  preparations  for  their 
fourth  Polar  winter.  The  season  was  one  of  great  severity : 
in  February,  1833,  the  first  death  by  scurvy  took  place.  Ross 
himself  and  several  of  the  seamen  were  attacked  by  the  disease. 
It  was  not  till  August  that  the  boats  were  again  able  to  move. 
They  reached  Barrow's  Strait  on  the  17th,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  26th  descried  a  sail.  They  made  signals  by  burning  wet 
powder,  and  succeeded  in  attracting  the  stranger's  attention. 
She  was  a  whaler,  and  had  been  formerly  commanded  by  Ross 
himself.  Thus  they  were  rescued.  After  a  month's  delay,  the 
vessel,  now  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  blubber,  sailed  for 
Hull,  in  England.  There  Ross  and  his  officers  received  a  public 
entertainment  from  the  mayor  and  corporation.  The  former 
then  repaired  to  London,  reported  himself  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Admiralty,  and  obtained  an  audience  of  the  king.  His 
Majesty  accepted  the  dedication  of  his  journal,  and  allowed 
him  to  add  the  name  of  AVilliarn  the  Fourth  to  the  Magnetic 
Pole.  He  learned  that  he  had  been  given  up  for  lost  long 
since,  and  that  parties  had  been  sent  out  in  search  of  him. 

All  concerned  in  this  interesting  expedition  were  rewarded 
by  Parliament.  Mr.  Booth  was  shortly  after  knighted;  Com- 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA.  513 

mander  Ross  was  made  post-captain ;  the  other  officers  re 
ceived  speedy  promotion ;  and  Government  paid  the  crew  the 
wages  which  had  accrued  beyond  the  period  of  fifteen  months 
for  which  they  were  engaged, — amounting  in  all  to  X4580.  A 
select  committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  was  appointed  to 
consider  the  claims  of  Captain  Ross  himself,  and  concluded  its 
labors  by  recommending  that  a  sum  of  £5000  be  voted  to  him 
by  Parliament. 

In  1825,  Captain  d'Urville  was  sent  by  Charles  X.  of  France 
upon  a  voyage  similar  to  those  performed  by  Freycinet  and 
Duperrey.  As  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  say,  this  officer 
was  fortunate  enough  to  return  to  France  with  the  positive 
proofs  of  the  destruction  of  the  vessels  o'f  Lape'rouse  upon  the 
island  of  Vanikoro.  He  surveyed  the  whole  of  the  Feejee 
archipelago,  and  restored  upon  French  maps  its  native  name 
of  Viti.  The  results  of  d'Urville's  labors  are  comprised  in 
twelve  octavo  volumes,  sixty-three  charts,  twelve  plans,  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-six  designs  representing  the  various  island 
nations,  their  arms,  dwellings,  &c.,  and  four  hundred  landscapes 
and  marine  views.  Admiral  d'Urville  ranks  as  the  first  French 
navigator  of  this  century. 

In  1830,  two  rich  shipping-merchants  of  London,  by  the 
name  of  Enderby,  sent  Captain  Biscoe  to  the  Antarctic  Ocean 
to  fish  for  seals,  in  the  brig  Tula  and  the  cutter  Lively,  giving 
him  directions  to  seek  for  land  in  high  southern  latitudes.  In 
February,  1831, — being  then  as  far  south  as  the  sixty-ninth 
parallel  and  in  12°  west, — he  saw  distinct  and  positive  signs  of 
land.  On  the  27th,  in  66°  of  latitude  and  47°  of  longitude,  he 
convinced  himself  of  the  existence  of  a  long  reach  of  land  ;  but 
huge  islands  of  ice  prevented  his  approaching  it.  The  magni 
ficence  of  the  aurora  australis,  appearing  now  under  the  forms 
of  grand  architectural  columns  and  now  as  the  fringes  of 
tapestry,  drew  the  attention  of  the  sailors  so  constantly  towards 

the  heavens  that  they  neglected  to  watch  the  ship's  track  amid 

33 


514  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

mountains  of  floating  and  tumbling  ice.  Captain  Biscoe  gave 
to  the  discovery  the  name  of  Enderby's  Land.  Farther  to  the 
west  he  discovered  an  island,  which  he  named  Adelaide,  in 
honor  of  the  Queen  of  England.  It  presents  an  imposing 
appearance, — a  tall  peak  burying  itself  in  the  clouds  and  often 
peering  out  above  them.  Its  base  is  surrounded  with  a  dazzling 
girdle  of  snow  and  ice,  which  extends,  though  sapped  and  exca 
vated  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  some  nine  hundred  feet  into 
the  sea. 

In  1836,  the  English  Government  appointed  Captain  George 
Back  —  who  had  lately  been  upon  a  land-expedition  in  the 
American  Arctic  regions  in  search  of  Captain  and  Commander 
Ross — to  the  since  celebrated  ship  Terror,  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  the  western  coast-line  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet.  The 
voyage,  though  entirely  unsuccessful,  is  one  of  the  most  remark 
able  on  record, — showing  as  it  did  a  power  of  resistance  and 
endurance  in  a  ship  which  till  then  was  not  believed  to  belong 
either  to  iron  or  heart  of  oak.  Back  proceeded  no  farther  than 
Baffin's  Bay,  the  Terror  remaining  for  ten  months  fast  in  the 
gripe  of  its  "cradle"  or  "ice-wagon,"  as  the  men  called  the 
huge  floating  berg  upon  which  she  rested.  He  was  knighted  on 
his  return,  and  his  sturdy  ship  was  put  out  of  commission  and 
docked.  It  is  a  subject  of  regret  that  so  splendid  a  specimen 
of  marine  architecture,  as  far  as  strength  and  solidity  are  con 
cerned,  should  have  met  the  fate  which  she  has  encountered. 
Where  she  is  no  mortal  knows,  except  perhaps  a  few  inaccessible 
Esquimaux ;  for  she  has  perished  with  her  lost  consort,  the 
Erebus,  and  their  hapless  commander,  Sir  John  Franklin. 

In  the  year  1838,  on  the  23d  of  April,  two  ocean-steamers — 
the  first  with  the  exception  of  the  Savannah — entered  the  harbor 
of  New  York.  They  were  the  Sirius  and  the  Great  Western. 
They  had  been  expected,  and  their  arrival  was  the  signal  for 
general  rejoicings  and  the  theme  of  universal  congratulation. 
Crowds  of  people — men,  women,  and  children — assembled  along 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  515 

the  wharves  to  view  the  unwonted  spectacle.  The  Sirius  was  a 
vessel  of  seven  hundred  tons  and  three  hundred  and  twenty 
horse-power,  and  had  previously  plied  between  Liverpool  and 
Cork.  She  had  left  the  latter  port  on  the  4th  of  April,  and 
had  therefore  been  nineteen  days  upon  the  passage.  The  Great 
Western  was  a  new  ship  :  she  was  of  thirteen  hundred  and  forty 
tons ;  her  extreme  length  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  feet ; 
her  depth  of  hold,  twenty-three  feet ;  breadth  of  beam,  thirty- 
five  feet ;  diameter  of  wheels,  twenty-eight  feet ;  length  of 
paddle-boards,  ten  feet ;  diameter  of  cylinder,  six  feet ;  length 
of  stroke,  seven  feet.  She  had  four  boilers,  and  could  carry 
eight  hundred  tons  of  coal, — sufficient  for  twenty-six  days'  con 
sumption.  She  had  left  Bristol  on  the  8th  of  April,  and  had 
accomplished  the  voyage  in  fifteen  days  and  five  hours.  Her 
mean  daily  rate  was  two  hundred  and  forty  miles,  or  nine 
miles  an  hour,  with  unfavorable  weather  and  strong  head-winds. 
She  was  expected  to  stop  either  at  the  Azores  or  at  Halifax, 
but  succeeded  in  making  the  passage  direct.  She  consumed 
but  four  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  coal  out  of  six  hundred. 
This  event  was  looked  upon  by  all  as  an  earnest  of  the  complete 
triumph  of  ocean  steam-navigation ;  and  the  Great  Western  is 
regarded  by  the  people  of  the  two  countries  as  the  pioneer  ship 
among  the  many  noble  vessels  that  have  plied  upon  the  great 
Atlantic  ferry.  The  Britannia — the  first  vessel  of  the  Cunard 
line  to  cross  the  ocean — arrived  at  Boston  on  the  18th  of  July, 
1840,  after  a  passage  of  fourteen  days  and  eight  hours. 

In  this  same  year,  (1838,)  the  United  States'  Exploring  Ex 
pedition, — consisting  of  the  Vincennes,  a  sloop-of-war  of  twenty 
guns,  Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes,  commander-in-chief ;  the 
Peacock,  eighteen-gun  sloop-of-war,  William  L.  Hudson,  com 
manding  ;  the  Porpoise,  ten-gun  brig ;  the  Relief,  exploring 
vessel ;  and  the  schooners  Flying-Fish  and  Sea-Gull. — sailed 
from  Hampton  Roads.  Its  objects  were  to  explore  the  Southern 
and  Pacific  Oceans;  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  situation  of 


,-)ltj  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

that  part  of  the  Antarctic  continent  supposed  to  lie  to  the  south 
of  New  Holland,  and  to  make  researches  and  surveys  of  im 
portance  to  ships  navigating  the  Polynesian  seas.  The  squadron 
was  absent  four  years,  and  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of 
arduous  labor  interesting  to  science  and  invaluable  to  com 
merce.  We  propose  to  speak  only  of  what  became  afterwards 
its  prominent  feature, — the  supposed  discovery  of  an  Antarctic 
continent. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1840,  land  was  seen  in  longitude 
106°  40'  E.  and  latitude  65°  57'  S.  The  next  day  the  ships 
were  within  seven  miles  of  it,  and,  "  by  measurement,  the  extent 
of  the  coast  of  the  Antarctic  continent  then  in  sight  was  made 
seventy-five  miles."  The  men  landed  on  an  ice-island,  where  they 
found  stones,  boulders,  gravel,  sand,  and  clay.  Everybody  wished 
to  possess  a  piece  of  the  Antarctic  continent ;  and  many  frag 
ments  of  red  sandstone  and  basalt  were  carried  away.  The  island 
was  believed  to  have  been  detached  from  the  neighboring  land. 
Subsequent  voyages,  however,  have  thrown  great  doubts  upon 
the  accuracy  of  these  assertions.  James  Clarke  Ross,  who  was 
sent  with  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  in  1839,  to  the  South  Pole, 
was  informed  at  Van  Diemen's  Land  of  Wilkes'  alleged  dis 
covery.  He  reached  the  spot  in  January,  1841,  and,  instead  of 
an  Antarctic  continent,  found  water  five  hundred  fathoms  deep. 
The  existence  of  such  a  continent,  therefore,  must  be  regarded 
as  altogether  hypothetical.  "It  is  natural,"  says  the  London 
Athenaeum,  "  that  a  commander  of  his  country's  first  scientific 
expedition  should  wish  to  make  the  most  of  it ;  but  Science  is 
so  august  in  her  nature  and  so  severe  in  her  rules  that  she  de 
clines  recording  in  her  archives  any  sentence  as  truth  on  which 
there  rests  the  slightest  liability  of  doubt :  in  all  such  cases  she 
prefers  the  Scotch  verdict, — 'Not  proven.'  ' 

Though  at  this  period  the  discovery  of  a  Northwest  Passage 
— if  one  existed — was  no  longer  expected  to  afford  a  short  and 
commodious  commercial  route  to  the  Indies  and  to  China,  yet 


MAN    Ul'U^    THE    SEA.  517 

the  scientific  and  romantic  interest  of  the  subject  still  exerted  a 
powerful  effect  on  both  nations  and  Governments.  Great  Britain 
resolved  to  make  one  last  attempt,  and,  selecting  two  vessels 
whose  fame  was  now  world-wide,  appointed  Sir  John  Franklin 
to  their  command, — the  Erebus  being  his  flag-ship,  with  Captain 
Crozier,  as  his  second,  in  the  Terror.  The  officers  and  crew,  all 
told,  numbered  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  picked  and  reso 
lute  men.  The  instructions  given  to  Franklin  were  to  proceed, 
with  a  store-ship  ordered  to  accompany  him,  as  far  up  Davis' 
Straits  as  that  vessel  could  safely  go,  there  to  transfer  her  pro 
visions  and  send  her  home.  He  was  then  to  get  into  Baffin's 
Bay,  enter  Lancaster  Sound,  thread  Barrow's  Straits,  and  fol 
low  Parry's  track  due  west  to  Melville  Island,  in  the  Polar  Sea. 
Here  the  instructions,  with  an  assurance  which  seems  incredible 
now,  begged  the  whole  question  of  a  Northwest  Passage,  and 
directed  him  to  proceed  the  remaining  nine  hundred  miles  which 
separate  that  point  from  Behring's  Strait, — a  region  which  it 
was  hoped  would  be  found  free  from  obstruction.  He  was  not 
to  stop  to  examine  any  opening  to  the  northward,  but  to  push 
resolutely  on  to  Behring's  Strait,  and  return  home  by  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  Panama.  He  sailed  from  the  Thames  on 
the  19th  of  May,  1845.  He  received  the  store-ship's  cargo  in 
Davis'  Straits,  and  then  despatched  her  home.  His  two  ships 
were  seen  by  a  whaler  named  the  Prince  of  Wales  on  the  26th 
of  July :  they  were  in  the  very  middle  of  Baffin's  Bay,  moored 
to  an  iceberg  and  waiting  for  open  water. 

Two  years  passed  away,  and,  nothing  being  heard  from  them, 
the  public  anxiety  respecting  them  became  very  great.  The 
Government  determined  to  attempt  their  rescue,  and  sent  out 
three  several  expeditions  in  1848.  The  two  first — one  overland 
to  the  Polar  Sea,  under  Richardson  and  Rae,  another  by 
Behring's  Strait,  in  the  ships  Herald  and  Plover  —  totally 
failed  of  success,  as  they  were  founded  upon  the  supposition 
that  Franklin  had  advanced  farther  westward  than  Parry  in 


518  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

1820, — a  supposition  altogether  unlikely.  The  third — consist 
ing  of  the  Enterprise  and  Investigator,  under  Captain  Sir 
James  Clarke  Ross  —  was  equally  unsuccessful,  though  con 
ducted  in  a  quarter  where  success  was  at  least  possible.  At 
Port  Leopold,  at  the  mouth  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  Ross 
formed  a  large  depot  of  provisions, — the  locality  having  been 
admirably  chosen,  being  upon  Parry's  route  to  the  Polar  Sea, 
and  upon  any  track  Franklin  would  be  likely  to  take  on  his 
way  back,  in  case  he  had  already  advanced  beyond  it.  His 
men  built  a  house  upon  shore  of  their  spare  spars,  and  covered  it 
with  such  canvas  as  they  could  dispense  with.  They  lengthened 
the  Investigator's  steam-launch,  so  that  it  would  be  capable  of 
carrying  Franklin  and  his  crew  safely  to  the  whalers'  rendez 
vous,  and  left  it.  They  then  made  their  way  through  the  ice 
to  Davis'  Straits,  and  arrived  in  England  early  in  November, 
1849. 

The  probable  fate  of  Franklin  now  absorbed  all  minds,  and 
the  Admiralty,  Parliament,  the  public,  and  the  press  eagerly 
discussed  every  theory  which  would  account  for  his  prolonged 
absence,  and  every  means  by  which  succor  could  be  sent  to  him. 
The  Admiralty  offered  a  reward  of  one  hundred  guineas  for 
accurate  information  concerning  him.  Lady  Franklin  offered 
the  stimulus  of  <£2000,  and  a  second  of  .£3000,  to  successful 
search ;  and  the  British  Government  sought  to  enlist  the  ser 
vices  of  the  whalers  by  announcing  a  bonus  of  .£20,000.  A 
vessel  was  sent  to  land  provisions  and  coal  at  the  entrance  to 
Lancaster  Sound.  Three  new  expeditions  were  sent  out  in 
1850  by  the  Government,  besides  one  by  public  subscription, 
assisted  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  under  Sir  John  Ross, 
and  another  by  Lady  Franklin.  They  accomplished  wonders 
of  seamanship,  and  their  crews  endured  the  most  harassing 
trials ;  but  we  have  no  space  to  chronicle  any  thing  beyond  the 
finding  of  a  few  distinct  but  unproductive  traces  of  the  missing 
adventurers,  which  occurred  in  the  following  manner : 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  519 

Captain  Oinmaney,  of  the  Assistance  and  Intrepid,  landed 
on  Cape  Riley,  in  Wellington  Channel,  late  in  August. 
There  he  observed  sledge-tracks  and  a  pavement  of  small 
stones  which  had  evidently  been  the  floor  of  a  tent.  Around 
were  a  number  of  birds'  bones  and  fragments  of  meat-tins. 
Upon  Beechey  Island,  three  miles  distant,  were  found  a  cairn 
or  mound  constructed  of  layers  of  meat-tins  filled  with  gravel, 
the  embankment  of  a  house,  the  remains  of  a  carpenter's 
shop  and  an  armorer's  forge,  with  remnants  of  rope  and 
clothing;  a  pair  of  gloves  laid  out  to  dry,  with  stones  upon 
them  to  prevent  their  blowing  away.  The  oval  outline  of  a 
garden  was  still  distinguishable.  But  the  most  interesting  and 
valuable  result  of  these  investigations  was  the  finding  of  three 
graves  with  inscriptions,  one  of  which  will  show  the  tenor  of 
the  whole : 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  William  Braine,  R.M.,  of  H.M.S. 
Erebus,  who  died  April  3,  1846,  aged  thirty-two  years. 
Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve. — Josh.  xxiv.  15." 

This  and  one  of  the  other  inscriptions,  dated  in  January, 
seemed  to  fix  at  this  spot  the  first  winter  quarters  of  Franklin, 
— for  1845-46.  They  also  show  that  but  three  men  died  during 
the  winter ;  and  three  out  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  is 
not  a  high  proportion  of  mortality.  The  seven  hundred  empty 
meat-tins  seemed  to  show  that  the  consumption  of  meat  had 
been  moderate ;  for  the  ships  started  with  twenty-four  thousand 
canisters.  This  was  the  substance  of  the  intelligence  obtained 
during  this  year  of  the  fate  of  the  wanderers ;  and  it  was,  as 
will  be  noticed,  already  five  years  old. 

An  expedition  was  also  fitted  out  for  the  search  in  1850, 
under  the  combined  auspices  of  Henry  Grinnell,  Esq.,  a  mer 
chant  of  New  York,  and  the  United  States  Navy  Department, 
— the  former  furnishing  the  ships  and  the  means,  the  latter  the 
men  and  the  discipline.  Two  hermaphrodite  brigs, — the  Advance 
and  Rescue, — of  one  hundred  and  forty-four  and  ninety  tons 


520 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


respectively,  manned  by  thirty -eight  men,  all  told,  and 
strengthened  for  Arctic  duty  beyond  all  precedent,  were  pre 
pared  for  the  service.  They  were  placed  under  the  command 
of  Lieutenant  De  Haven, — Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  of  the  Navy,  being 


\ 


DR.     KANE. 


appointed  surgeon  and  naturalist  to  the  squadron.  They  sailed 
from  New  York  on  the  23d  of  May,  and  in  less  than  a  month 
descried  the  gaunt  coast  of  Greenland  at  the  moment  when  the 
distinction  between  day  and  night  began  to  be  lost.  The 
Danish  inhabitants  of  the  settlement  at  Lievely  made  them 
such  presents  of  furs  as  their  own  scanty  wardrobes  permitted. 
Two  sailors,  complaining  of  sickness,  were  landed  at  Disco 
Island,  thence  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  home. 

Thus  far  the  weather  had  been  favorable,  and  they  passed 
the  seventy-fourth  degree  without  meeting  ice.     On  the  7th  of 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  521 

July,  being  still  in  Baffin's  Bay,  they  encountered  the  pack. 
It  was  summer-ice,  consisting  of  closely- set  but  separate  floes. 
They  could  not  make  over  three  miles  a  day  headway  through 
it, — which  they  considered  a  useless  expenditure  of  labor. 
They  remained  beset  for  twenty- one  days,  when  the  pack 
opened  in  various  directions.  The  ships  now  reached  Melville 
Bay,  on  the  east  side  of  Baffin's  Bay, — Lancaster  Sound, 
through  which  they  were  to  pass,  being  upon  the  west.  Mel 
ville  Bay,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  always  crowded  with  ice 
bergs,  and  presents  in  a  bird's-eye  view  all  the  combined  hor 
rors  and  perils  of  Arctic  navigation,  has  received  the  appellation 
of  the  "Devil's  Nip."  Across  this  formidable  indentation  the 
two  vessels  made  their  weary  way,  occupying  five  weeks  in  the 
transit.  A  steam-tug  would  have  towed  them  across  in  forty- 
eight  hours.  In  the  middle  of  August  the  vessels  entered  Lan 
caster  Sound,  and,  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  overhauled  the 
Felix,  engaged  in  the  search,  under  the  veteran  Sir  John  Ross. 
The  next  day,  the  Prince  Albert,  one  of  Lady  Franklin's  ships, 
was  seen,  and,  soon  after,  the  intelligence  was  received  of  the 
discovery  of  traces  of  Franklin  and  his  men.  The  navigators 
of  both  nations  visited  Beechey  Island  and  saw  there  the  evi 
dences  which  we  have  already  mentioned.  The  Advance  and 
Rescue  now  strove  in  vain  to  urge  their  way  to  Wellington 
Channel.  The  sun  travelled  far  to  the  south,  and  the  brief 
summer  was  rapidly  coming  to  a  close.  The  cold  increased, 
and  the  fires  were  not  yet  lighted  below.  On  the  12th  of  Sep 
tember  the  Rescue  was  swept  from  her  moorings  by  the  ice  and 
partially  disabled.  The  pack  in  which  they  were  enveloped, 
though  not  yet  beset,  was  evidently  drifting  they  knew  not 
whither.  The  commander,  convinced  that  all  westward  pro 
gress  was  vain  for  the  season,  resolved  to  return  homeward. 
The  vessels'  heads  were  turned  eastward,  and  slowly  forced  a 
passage  through  the  reluctant  ice.  On  the  evening  of  the  14th 
of  September,  Dr.  Kane  was  endeavoring,  with  the  thermometer 


522  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

far  below  zero,  to  commit  a  few  words  to  his  journal,  when  he 
heard  De  Haven's  voice.  "Doctor,"  he  said,  "the  ice  has 
caught  us  :  we  are  frozen  up." 

The  Advance  was  now  destined  to  undergo  treatment  similar 
to  that  suffered  by  the  Terror  under  Captain  Back.  For  eight 
mortal  months  she  was  carried,  cradled  in  the  ice,  backwards 
and  forwards  in  Wellington  Channel,  wherever  the  winds  and 
currents  listed.  At  first,  before  the  ice  around  them  had 
become  solid,  they  were  exposed  to  constant  peril  from  "nips" 
of  floating  and  besieging  floes  ;  but  these  huge  tablets  soon 
became  a  protection  by  themselves  receiving  and  warding  off 
subsequent  attacks.  Early  in  October,  the  vessels  were  more 
firmly  fixed  than  a  jewel  in  its  setting. 

They  now  made  preparations  for  passing  the  winter.  The 
two  crews  were  collected  in  the  Advance.  Until  the  stoves 
could  be  got  up,  a  lard-lamp  was  burned  in  the  cabin,  by  which 
the  temperature  was  raised  to  12°  above  zero.  The  condensed 
moisture  upon  the  beams  from  so  many  breaths  caused  them  to 
drip  perpetually,  till  canvas  gutters  were  fitted  up,  which  carried 
off  a  gallon  of  water  a  day.  The  three  stoves  were  soon  ready, 
and  these,  together  with  the  cooking-galley,  diffused  warmth 
through  the  common  room  formed  by  knocking  the  forecastle 
and  cabin  into  one.  Light  was  furnished  by  four  argand  and 
three  bear's-fat  lamps.  The  entire  deck  of  the  Advance  was 
covered  with  a  housing  of  thick  felt.  On  the  9th  of  November 
their  preparations  were  fairly  completed. 

The  sun  ceased  to  rise  after  the  15th  of  November:  after 
that,  the  east  was  as  dark  at  nine  in  the  morning  as  at  mid 
night  ;  at  eleven  there  was  a  faint  twilight,  and  at  noon  a  streak 
of  brown  far  away  to  the  south.  The  store-room  would  have 
furnished  an  amateur  geologist  with  an  admirable  cabinet,  so 
totally  were  the  eatables  and  drinkables  changed  in  appearance 
by  the  cold.  "Dried  apples  and  peaches  assumed  the  appear 
ance  of  chalcedony ;  sour-krout  was  mica,  the  laminae  of  which 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  523 

were  with  difficulty  separated  by  a  chisel ;  butter  and  lard  were 
passable  marble ;  pork  and  beef  were  rare  specimens  of  Floren 
tine  mosaic ;  while  a  barrel  of  lamp-oil,  stripped  of  the  staves, 
resembled  a  sandstone  garden-roller." 

The  crews  soon  began  to  suffer  in  health  and  spirits :  their 
faces  became  white,  like  celery  kept  from  the  light.  They  had 
strange  dreams  and  heard  strange  sounds.  The  scurvy  ap 
peared,  and  old  wounds  bled  afresh.  Dr.  Kane  endeavored  to 
combat  the  disease  by  acting  upon  the  imagination  of  the  suf 
ferers.  He  ordered  an  old  tar  with  a  stiff  knee  to  place  the 
member  in  front  of  a  strong  magnet  and  let  it  vibrate  to  and 
fro  like  a  pendulum.  A  wonderful  and  complete  cure  was  thus 
effected.  He  practised  all  sorts  of  amiable  deceptions  upon  his 
patients, — making  them  take  medicine  in  salad  and  gargles  in 
beer.  Not  a  man  was  lost  during  the  voyage. 

From  time  to  time  fissures  would  open  in  the  ice  around 
them  with  an  explosion  like  that  of  heavy  artillery.  It  became 
necessary  to  make  preparations  for  abandoning  the  vessel,  and 
sledges,  boats,  and  provisions  were  gotten  ready  for  an  emer 
gency.  The  men  were  drilled  to  leave  the  ship  in  a  mass  at 
the  word  of  command.  The  crisis  seemed  to  be  upon  them 
many  a  time  and  oft ;  but  the  Advance  held  firmly  together, 
and  the  ice  around  her  gradually  became  solid  as  granite  again. 
Dr.  Kane  lectured  at  intervals  on  scientific  subjects,  till  the 
return  of  light  brought  with  it  a  return  of  hope  and  animal 
spirits.  On  the  29th  of  January,  1851,  the  sun  rose  above  the 
horizon,  after  an  absence  of  eighty-six  days.  "Never,"  says 
Dr.  Kane,  "till  the  grave-clod  or  the  ice  covers  me  may  I 
forego  this  blessing  of  blessings  again !  I  looked  at  him 
thankfully,  with  a  great  globus  in  my  throat." 

The  ice-pack  did  not  open  till  the  close  of  March.  Previous 
to  this,  all  the  successive  symptoms  of  the  coming  thaw  pre 
sented  themselves.  The  ice  began  to  smoke,  and  the  surface 
became  first  moist  and  then  soft.  It  was  soon  too  warm  to 


.',-24  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

skate,  and  the  cabin-lamps,  that  had  burned  for  four  months 
without  cessation,  were  extinguished.  The  mercury  rose  to 
82° ;  the  housings  were  removed  from  the  Advance,  and  the 
Rescue's  men  returned  to  their  deserted  ship.  The  saw  was  put 
in  motion  early  in  May ;  but  the  grand  disruption  of  the  ice, 
which  was  either  to  free  the  ships  or  crush  them,  did  not  occur 
till  the  5th  of  June.  It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
the  first  crack  was  heard,  and  the  water,  spirting  up,  was  seen 
following  the  track  of  the  fissure.  In  half  an  hour  the  ice  was 
seamed  with  cracks  in  every  direction,  some  of  them  spreading 
into  rivers  twenty  feet  across.  The  Rescue  was  released  at 
once :  the  coating  of  the  Advance  held  on  for  three  days  more, 
parting  at  last  under  the  weight  of  a  single  man.  The  liberated 
ships  soon  made  the  Greenland  coast,  at  Godhavn,  where  they 
spent  five  days  in  reposing,  in  celebrating  the  Fourth  of  July, 
and  in  splicing  the  main-brace, — this  latter  being  a  convivial, 
and  not  a  mechanical,  operation.  The  vessels  arrived  safely  at 
the  Brooklyn  Navy- Yard  on  the  1st  of  October,  1851.  The 
vessels  were  restored  to  Mr.  Grinnell,  with  the  stipulation  that 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  might  claim  them,  in  case  of  need, 
for  further  search  in  the  spring. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

KENNEDY'S  EXPEDITION — SIR  EDWARD  BELCHER — M^CLURE — DISCOVERT  OF  THE 

NORTHWEST   PASSAGE  —  JUNCTION   OF   McCLURE   AND    KELLETT EPISODE   OF 

THE  RESOLUTE COMMODORE  PERRY'S  EXPEDITION DECISIVE  TRACES  OF  THE 

FATE  OF  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN — THE  LEVIATHAN. 

ENCOURAGED  by  the  discovery  of  traces  of  her  husband,  Lady 
Franklin  caused  the  Prince  Albert,  upon  her  return  with  the 
intelligence,  to  be  at  once  refitted  for  another  Arctic  voyage. 
The  expedition,  though  conducted  with  consummate  skill  by 
William  Kennedy,  late  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and 
Lieutenant  Bellot,  of  the  French  Navy,  his  second,  totally 
failed  of  success.  It  returned  in  October,  1853.  In  the  mean 
time,  another  and  more  imposing  expedition — that  under  Sir 
Edward  Belcher  —  had  sailed  for  the  Polar  regions.  The 
squadron  consisted  of  five  vessels, — the  Assistance,  with  the 
steamer  Pioneer,  the  Resolute,  with  the  steamer  Intrepid,  and 
the  North  Star  storeship.  They  sailed  on  the  28th  of  April, 
1852,  and  arrived  at  their  head-quarters  at  Beechey  Island — 
the  scene  of  Franklin's  hibernation  in  1846 — on  the  10th  of 
August.  The  North  Star  remained  here  with  the  stores,  while 
the  two  ships,  with  their  respective  tugs,  started  upon  distinct 
voyages  of  exploration, — Sir  Edward  Belcher,  in  the  Assist 
ance,  standing  up  Wellington  Channel,  and  Captain  Kellett,  in 
the  Resolute,  proceeding  to  Melville  Island.  The  latter  was 
instructed  to  seek  at  this  point  for  intelligence  of  Captains 
McClure  and  Collinson,  who  had  been  sent  to  Behring's  Strait 

in  1850,  in  order  to  force  their  way  eastward  from  thence,  and 

525 


526  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

who  had  not  since  been  heard  of.  As  the  interest  of  Sir 
Edward  Belcher's  expedition  centres  entirely  in  the  junction 
effected  by  Kellett  with  McClure,  we  revert  to  the  adventures 
of  the  latter  explorer,  now  distinguished  as  the  discoverer  of 
the  Northwest  Passage. 

Collinson  and  McClure  sailed  in  the  Enterprise  and  Investi 
gator  for  Behring's  Strait  vid  Cape  Horn  on  the  20th  of 
January,  1850.  They  arrived  at  the  strait  in  July.  The 
Enterprise,  being  foiled  in  her  efforts  to  get  through  the  ice, 
turned  about  and  wintered  at  Hong-Kong.  McClure,  in  the 
Investigator,  kept  gallantly  on  through  the  strait,  and,  during 
the  month  of  August,  advanced  to  the  southeast,  into  the  heart 
of  the  Polar  Sea,  along  a  coast  never  yet  visited  by  a  ship,  and 
on  the  21st  of  August  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Mackenzie  River, 
discovered  by  Mackenzie  in  his  land-expedition  in  1789  to 
determine  the  northern  coast-line  of  America.  He  had  now 
passed  the  region  visited  and  surveyed  in  former  years  by 
Franklin,  Back,  Rae,  and  others,  in  overland  explorations,  and 
on  the  6th  of  September  arrived  at  a  point  considerably  to  the 
east  of  any  land  marked  upon  the  charts.  He  now  began  to 
name  the  islands,  headlands,  and  indentations.  On  the  9th, 
the  ship  was  found  to  be  but  sixty  miles  to  the  west  of  the  spot 
to  which  Parry,  sailing  westward,  had  carried  his  ship  in  1820. 
Could  he  but  sail  these  sixty  miles  his  name  would  be  immortal. 
"I  cannot,"  he  writes,  "describe  my  anxious  feelings.  Can  it 
be  possible  that  this  water  communicates  with  Barrow's  Straits 
and  shall  prove  to  be  the  long-sought  Northwest  Passage  ? 
Can  it  be  that  so  humble  a  creature  as  I  am  will  be  permitted 
to  perform  what  has  baffled  the  talented  and  wise  for  hundreds 
of  years?"  On  the  17th,  the  Investigator  reached  the  longi 
tude  of  117°  10'  west, — thirty  miles  from  the  waters  in  which 
Parry  wintered  with  the  Hecla  and  Griper  in  a  harbor  of  Mel 
ville  Island.  Alas !  the  vessel  went  no  farther  east :  the  ice 
drifted  perceptibly  to  the  west,  and  it  was  fated  that  these 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  527 

thirty  miles  should  remain,  as  they  had  remained  for  ages,  as 
impassable  to  ships  as  the  Isthmus  of  Suez. 

The   Investigator   passed  the  winter  heeled  four  degrees  to 
port  and  elevated  a  foot  out  of  water  by  a  "nip,"  in  which 
position   she  rested  quietly  for  months.     Late  in   October,   a 
sledge-party  of  six  men,  headed  by  McClure,  started  to  tra 
verse  on  foot  the  distance  which  it  was  forbidden  their  ship  to 
cross.     On  the  25th,  they  saw  the  Polar  Ocean  ice.     The  next 
morning,  before    daybreak,  they  ascended  a  hill  six  hundred 
feet  high,   convinced  that  the  dawn    would    reveal   them    the 
previous  surveys  of  Sir  Edward,  and  make  them  the  discoverers 
of  the  Northwest  Passage,  by  connecting  their  voyage  from  the 
west  with  his  from  the  east.     The  return  of  day  showed  their 
anticipations  to  be  correct :    Melville   Strait  was  visible  to  the 
north,  and  between  it  and  them,  though  there  was  plenty  of 
ice,  there  was  no  intervening  land.     They  had  discovered  the  > 
Passage, — that  is,  an  ice-passage,  which  of  course  involved  a 
water-passage  when  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  permitted  it. 
Though  they  regretted  bitterly  that  they  could  not  get  their 
ship  through,  their  only  remaining  course  was  to  send  one  of 
their  party  home  by  the  well-known   route  through  Barrow's 
Straits,  and  thus  prove  the  existence  of  the  passage  by  the 
return  of  one  who  had  made  it.     They  erected  a  cairn  and  left 
a  record  of  their  visit,  and  then  commenced  their  homeward 
journey  to  the  ship.     McClure  became  separated  from  his  com 
panions,    and   nearly   perished    in  the   snow.      He   arrived  in 
safety,  however,  and  the  grand  discovery  was  duly  celebrated 
and  the  main-brace    properly  spliced.      Numerous    searching- 
parties  were  now  from  time  to  time  sent  out,  and  in  the  middle 
of  July  the   ice  broke  up  and  the  Investigator  was  released. 
She  drifted  five  miles  more  to  the  east, — thus  reducing  the  dis 
tance  of  separation  to  twenty-five  miles.     Here  she  was  again 
firmly  and  inextricably  frozen  in.     Another  and  another  winter 
passed  ;    and  it  was  not   till  the  spring  of  1853  that   relief 


,"">:28  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

reached  them.  In  order  to  make  a  consecutive  story,  we  must 
return  to  that  portion  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  squadron  which, 
under  Captain  Kellett,  was  sent  to  Melville  Island,  and  which 
arrived  there  late  in  1852.  At  this  period,  Kellett,  in  the 
Resolute,  and  McClure,  in  the  Investigator,  were  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  apart. 

A  sledge-party  sent  out  by  Kellett  discovered,  with  the 
wildest  delight,  in  October,  1852,  a  cairn  in  which  McClure 
had  deposited,  the  April  previous,  a  chart  of  his  discoveries. 
They  were  compelled  to  wait  the  winter  through  ;  and  it  was  not 
till  the  10th  of  March  that  Kellett  ventured  to  send  a  travelling- 
party  in  quest  of  the  Investigator.  The  communication  was 
effected  on  the  6th  of  April,  1853.  McClure  thus  describes  it : 

"While  walking  near  the  ship,  in  conversation  with  the  first 
lieutenant,  we  perceived  a  figure  coming  rapidly  towards  us 
from  the  rough  ice  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay.  He  was  cer 
tainly  unlike  any  of  our  men;  but,  recollecting  that  it  was 
possible  some  one  might  be  trying  a  new  travelling-dress  pre 
paratory  to  the  departure  of  our  sledges,  and  certain  that  no 
one  else  was  near,  we  continued  to  advance.  The  stranger 
came  quietly  on :  had  the  skies  fallen  upon  us  we  could  hardly 
have  been  more  astonished  than  when  he  called  out,  'I'm 
Lieutenant  Pirn,  late  of  the  Herald,  now  of  the  Resolute. 
Captain  Kellett  is  in  her,  at  Dealy  Island.' 

"  To  rush  at  and  seize  him  by  the  hand  was  the  first  im 
pulse  ;  for  the  heart  was  too  full  for  the  tongue  to  speak.  The 
news  flew  with  lightning  rapidity :  the  ship  was  all  in  commo 
tion  ;  the  sick,  forgetful  of  their  maladies,  leaped  from  their 
hammocks ;  the  artificers  dropped  their  tools,  and  the  lower 
deck  was  cleared  of  men  ;  for  they  all  rushed  for  the  hatchway, 
to  be  assured  that  a  stranger  was  actually  among  them  and  that 
his  tale  was  true.  Despondency  fled  the  ship,  and  Lieutenant 
Pirn  received  a  welcome — pure,  hearty,  and  grateful — that  he 
surely  remember  and  cherish  to  the  end  of  his  days." 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  529 

It  was  now  decided  to  abandon  the  Investigator,  immovably 
fixed  as  she  was  in  the  ice.  Her  colors  were  hoisted  on  the  3d 
of  June,  and  she  was  left  alone  in  Mercy  Bay.  The  officers 
and  crew  arrived  on  board  the  Resolute  on  the  17th.  McClure 
sent  Lieutenant  Gurney  Cresswell,  with  despatches  for  the 
Admiralty,  by  sledges,  down  to  Beechey  Island,  where  he 
found  a  Government  vessel  and  at  once  sailed  for  England. 
Though  he  had  not  made  the  Northwest  Passage,  he  had  at 
least  crossed  the  American  continent  within  the  Arctic  Circle ; 
and  this  had  yet  been  done  by  no  mortal  man. 

Kellett  and  McClure  remained  for  many  months  in  the  Reso 
lute  and  Intrepid,  beset  in  the  ice.  They  received  instructions 
from  Belcher,  in  April,  1854,  to  abandon  their  ships.  The 
latter  were  placed  in  a  condition  to  be  occupied  by  any  Arctic 
searching-party, — the  furnaces  of  the  steamer  being  left  ready 
to  be  lighted.  Sir  Edward  Belcher  had  also  been  compelled  to 
abandon  his  vessels,  the  Assistance  and  Pioneer :  the  four 
crews  met  at  Beechey  Island,  and  embarked  on  board  their 
storeship,  the  North  Star,  which  had  been  laid  up  for  two 
years.  They  arrived  in  England  late  in  September.  The 
reader  will  at  once  recognise  the  Resolute  as  the  ship  which 
was  found  in  Baffin's  Bay,  in  1855,  by  Captain  Buddington, 
of  the  New  London  whaler  George  Henry.  She  had  forced 
her  way,  unaided  by  man,  through  twelve  hundred  miles  of 
Arctic  ice.  The  incidents  of  her  arrival  at  New  London,  of 
the  abandonment  to  the  American  sailors  of  all  claim  upon  her 
by  the  British  Government,  of  her  purchase  by  the  United 
States  Congress  from  her  new  owners,  her  re-equipment  at  the 
Brooklyn  Navy- Yard,  and  her  restoration  to  the  English  Navy 
by  Captain  Hartstene,  U.S.N.,  are  still  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  all. 

In  the  year  1853,  an  expedition  sent  by  the  United  States 
under  Commodore  Perry  ventured  into  waters  never  before 

ploughed  by  vessels  of  a   Christian  nation.     On  the  8th  of 

34 


580 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 


July,  the   precipitous  southern  coast  of  Niphon  —  the  largest 
island  of  the   Japanese  group  —  loomed  up  through  the  fog. 


JAPANESE     VESSEI 


The  American  steamers  entered  the  Bay  of  Jeddo,  eight  miles 
wide  at  the  mouth  hut  spreading  to  a  width  of  twelve  beyond. 
They  were  now  land-bound,  with  the  shores  of  an  empire 
almost  fabulous  enclosing  them  on  every  side.  Though 
peremptorily  forbidden  to  anchor,  though  surrounded  by 
myriads  of  boats  filled  with  men  eager  for  a  conflict,  though 
menaced  by  forts  which  seemed  formidable  till  examined 
through  the  glass,  the  fleet  kept  on,  and  finally,  by  dint  of 
persistence  and  several  salutary  displays  of  power,  the  commo 
dore,  having  at  his  disposal  the  national  steamers  Susquehanna, 
Mississippi,  and  Powhatan,  the  frigate  Saratoga,  and  the  ships 
Macedonian,  Vandalia,  Lexington,  and  Southampton,  wrung 
from  the  sullen  monopolists  a  treaty  opening  to  American  trade 
the  port  of  Simoda,  in  Niphon,  and  that  of  Hakodadi,  in  Jesso. 
It  now  remains  for  the  Americans  to  lead  the  Japanese,  by 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  531 

judicious  and  honorable  treatment,  to  experience  and  acknow 
ledge  the  benefits  of  commerce  and  intercourse  with  the  nations 
of  Christendom. 

To  return  once  more  to  the  Arctic  researches.  Soon  after 
the  return  of  Belcher  and  McClure  to  England,  decisive  intelli 
gence  of  Franklin  and  his  party  was  received  in  England.  Dr. 
Rae,  who  had  been  engaged  for  a  year  past  in  a  search  by 
land,  had  met  a  party  of  Esquimaux  who  were  in  possession  of 
numerous  articles  which  had  belonged  to  Franklin  and  his  men. 
They  stated  that  in  the  spring  of  1850  they  had  seen  forty 
white  men,  near  King  William's  Land,  dragging  a  boat  and 
sledges  over  the  ice.  They  were  thin  and  short  of  provisions : 
their  officer  was  a  tall,  stout,  middle-aged  man.  Some  months 
later  the  natives  found  the  corpses  of  thirty  persons  upon  the 
mainland,  and  five  dead  bodies  upon  a  neighboring  island. 
They  described  the  bodies  as  mutilated;  whence  Dr.  Rae  in 
ferred  that  the  party  had  been  driven  to  the  horrible  resource 
of  cannibalism.  The  presence  of  the  bones  and  feathers  of 
geese,  however,  showed  that  some  had  survived  till  the  arrival 
of  wild-fowl,  about  the  end  of  May.  Dr.  Rae  purchased  such 
articles  of  the  natives  as  would  best  serve  to  identify  their  late 
possessors..  All  furnished  decisive  testimony ;  but  a  round 
silver  plate  gave  peculiarly  strong  evidence,  bearing  as  it  did 
the  following  inscription  : — "Sir  John  Franklin,  K.C.B."  The 
slight  clue  thus  yielded  of  his  fate  was  the  last  which  has  thus 
far  been  obtained ;  and  it  will  doubtless  be  the  only  one  till  the 
Arctic  seas  give  up  their  dead.  The  expedition  of  Dr.  Kane 
had,  however,  already  sailed  from  New  York. 

It  was  while  these  events  were  transpiring  that  the  keel  of  the 
mammoth  steam-vessel — known  at  first  as  the  Great  Eastern, 
and  afterwards  as  the  Leviathan — was  laid,  at  Milwall,  on  the 
Thames.  We  refer  the  reader  to  the  engraving  on  the  opposite 
page  for  a  view  of  this  "village  adrift." 


CAPE     ALEXANDER:     THE     ARCTIC     GIBRALTAR. 


CHAPTER   LII. 

THE   SECOND   GRINNELL   EXPEDITION THE    ADVANCE    IN   WINTER   QUARTERS 

TOTAL    DARKNESS SLEDGE-PARTIES ADVENTURES TUB    FIRST    DEATH  — 

TKNNVSON'S  MONUMENT — HUMBOLDT  GLACIER — THE  OPEN  POLAR  SEA — SECOND 

WINTER ABANDONMENT  OF  THE   BRIG THE  WATER  AGAIN UPERNAVIK — 

RESCUE   BY   CAPTAIN    HARTSTENE DEATH   AND    SERVICES    OF   DR.  KANE 

ATTEMPT  TO  LAY  THE  ATLANTIC  CABLE CONCLUSION. 

THE  Government  of  the  United  States  forwarded  to  Dr. 
Kane,  in  the  month  of  December,  1852,  an  order  "to  conduct 
au  expedition  to  the  Arctic  Seas  in  search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin."  The  brig  Advance  was  again  placed  at  his  dis 
posal  by  Mr.  Grinnell,  and  manned  by  eighteen  picked  men. 
Dr.  Kane's  plan  was  to  enter  Smith's  Sound  at  the  top  of 

Baffin's  Bay, — into  which,  alone  of  the  Arctic  explorers,  Cap- 
532 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  533 

tain  Inglefield  had  penetrated  in  August,  1852,  in  the  Isabel, — 
to  reach,  if  possible,  the  supposed  northerly  open  sea,  where  he 
hoped  to  find  traces  of  the  missing  navigators.  He  sailed  from 
New  York  on  the  30th  of  May,  1853,  touched  at  Fiskernaes,  in 
Greenland,  on  the  1st  of  July,  where  he  engaged  the  services 
of  Hans  Cristian,  a  native  Esquimaux  of  nineteen  years. 
Through  ice  and  fog  the  vessel  forced  her  way,  and  on  the  7th 
of  August  doubled  Cape  Alexander,  a  promontory  opposite 
another  named  Cape  Isabella, — the  two  being  the  headlands 
of  Smith's  Strait,  and  styled  by  Dr.  Kane  the  Arctic  Pillars 
of  Hercules. 

The  vessel  closed  with  the  ice  again  the  next  day,  and  was 
forced  into  a  landlocked  cove.  Every  effort  to  force  her  through 
the  floes  was  tried,  without  success,  and,  after  undergoing  the 
most  appalling  treatment  from  the  wind,  waves,  and  ice  com 
bined,  the  brig  was  warped  into  winter  quarters,  in  Rensselaer 
Bay,  on  the  22d  of  August,  and  was  frozen  in  on  September  10. 
There  she  lies  to  this  hour. — "to  her  a  long  resting-place 
indeed,"  writes  Kane;  "for  the  same  ice  is  around  her  still." 
This  was  in  latitude  78°  37'  N., — the  most  northerly  winter 
quarters  ever  taken  by  Christians,  except  in  Spitsbergen,  which 
has  the  advantage  of  an  insular  climate.  An  observatory  was 
erected,  a  thermal  register  kept  hourly,  and  magnetic  observa 
tions  recorded.  Parties  were  sent  out  to  establish  provision- 
depots  to  the  north,  to  facilitate  researches  in  the  spring. 
Three  depots  or  "caches"  were  made,  the  most  distant  being 
in  latitude  79°  12' :  in  this  they  deposited  six  hundred  and 
seventy  pounds  of  pemmican  and  forty  of  meat-biscuit.  These 
operations  were  arrested  by  darkness  in  November,  and  the 
crew  prepared  to  spend  one  hundred  and  forty  days  without  the 
light  of  the  sun.  The  first  number  of  the  Arctic  newspaper, 
"The  Ice-Blink,"  appeared  on  the  21st.  The  thermometer 
fell  to  67°  below  zero.  Chloroform  froze,  and  chloric  ether 
became  solid.  The  air  had  a  perceptible  pungency  upon 


584 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


inspiration :  all  inhaled  it  guardedly  and  with  compressed 
lips.  The  22d  of  December  brought  with  it  the  midnight  of 
the  year :  the  fingers  could  not  be  counted  a  foot  from  the 
eyes.  Nothing  remained  to  indicate  that  the  Arctic  world  had 
a  sun.  The  men  during  this  their  first  winter  kept  up  their 
spirits  wonderfully  ;  but  most  of  the  dogs  died  of  diseases  of  the 
brain  brought  on  by  the  depressing  influences  of  the  darkness. 

The  first  traces  of  returning  light  were  observed  on  the  21st 
of  January,  when  the  southern  horizon  had  a  distinct  orange  tint. 
Towards  the  close  of  February  the  sun  silvered  the  tall  icebergs 
between  the  headlands  of  the  bay :  his  rays  reached  the  deck 
on  the  28th,  and  perpetual  day  returned  with  the  month  of 
March.  The  men  found  their  faces  badly  mottled  by  scurvy- 
spots,  and  they  were  nearly  all  disabled  for  active  work.  But 


six   dogs    remained   out  of    forty-four.      "No    language    can 
describe,"  says  Kane,  "  the  chaos  at  the  base  of  the  rock  on 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  535 

which  the  storehouse  had  been  built.  Fragments  of  ice  had 
been  tossed  into  every  possible  confusion,  rearing  up  in  fantastic 
equilibrium,  surging  in  long  inclined  planes,  dipping  into  dark 
valleys,  and  piling  in  contorted  hills."  A  sledge-party  was 
sent  out  on  the  19th  to  deposit  a  relief  cargo  of  provisions ;  on 
the  31st,  three  of  its  members  returned,  swollen,  haggard,  and 
almost  dumb.  They  had  left  four  of  their  number  in  a  tent, 
disabled  and  frozen.  Dr.  Kane  at  once  started  with  a  rescue 
of  nine  men,  and,  after  an  unbroken  march  of  twenty-one 
hours,  came  in  sight  of  a  small  American  flag  floating  upon  a 
hummock.  They  were  received  with  an  explosion  of  welcome. 
The  return  with  the  sledge  laden  with  the  weight  of  eleven 
hundred  pounds  was  effected  at  the  expense  of  tremendous 
efforts  of  energy  and  endurance. 

While  still  nine  miles  from  their  half-way  tent,  they  felt  the 
peculiar  lethargic  sensation  of  extreme  cold, — symptoms  which 
Kane  compares  to  the  diffused  paralysis  of  the  electro-galvanic 
shock.  Bonsall  and  Morton  asked  permission  to  go  to  sleep, 
at  the  same  time  denying  that  they  were  cold.  Hans  lay  down 
under  a  drift,  and  in  a  few  moments  was  stiff.  An  immediate 
halt  was  necessary.  The  tent  was  pitched,  but  no  one  had  the 
strength  to  light  a  fire.  They  could  neither  eat  nor  drink. 
The  whiskey  froze  at  the  men's  feet.  Kane  gave  orders  to  them 
to  take  four  hours'  rest  and  then  follow  him  to  the  half-way 
tent,  where  he  would  have  ready  a  fire  and  some  thawed  pem- 
mican.  He  then  pushed  on  with  "William  Godfrey.  They  were 
both  in  a  state  of  stupor,  and  kept  themselves  awake  by  a  con 
tinued  articulation  of  incoherent  words.  Kane  describes  these 
hours  as  the  most  wretched  he  ever  went  through.  On  arriving 
at  the  tent,  they  found  that  a  bear  had  overturned  it,  tossing 
the  pemmican  into  the  snow.  They  crawled  into  their  reindeer 
sleeping-bags  and  slept  for  three  hours  in  a  dreamy  but  intense 
slumber.  On  awaking,  they  melted  snow-water  and  cooked 
some  soup ;  and  on  the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  the  party  they  all 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 


took  the  refreshment  and  pushed  on  towards  the  brig.  Their 
strength  soon  failed  them  again,  and  they  began  to  lose  their 
self-control.  Kane  tried  the  experiment  of  a  three  minutes' 
sleep,  and,  finding  that  it  refreshed  him,  timed  the  men  in  their 
turns.  Doses  of  brandy,  and,  finally,  the  distant  sight  of  the 
brig,  revived  and  encouraged  them.  The  last  mile  was  accom 
plished  by  instinct,  as  none  of  the  men  remembered  it  after 
wards  :  they  staggered  into  the  cabin  delirious  and  muttering 
with  agony. 

Death  now  entered  the  devoted  camp :  Jefferson  Baker  died 
of  lockjaw  on  the  7th  of  April.  A  meeting  with  a  party  of 
Esquimaux  now  enabled  Kane  to  reinforce  his  dog-team,  and 


WILD    DOG    TEAM. 


encouraged  him  to  start,  late  in  April,  upon  his  grand  sledge- 
excursion  to  the  north.  It  failed,  however,  completely.  Kane 
became  delirious  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  fainted  every  time  he 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  537 

was  taken  from  the  tent  to  the  sledge.     He  was  conveyed  back 
to  the  brig,  and  from  the  14th  to  the  20th  lay  hovering  between 
life  and  death.     Short  as  the  expedition  was,  however,  several 
remarkable  discoveries  were  made.     "Tennyson's  Monument" 
was  the  name  given  to  a  solitary  column  of  greenstone,  four 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  rising  from  a  pedestal  two  hun 
dred  and  eighty  feet  high, — both  as  sharply  finished  as  if  they 
had  been  cast  for  the  Place  Vendome.    But  the  most  wonderful 
feature  was  the  Great  Glacier  of  Humboldt, — an  ice-ocean  of 
boundless  dimensions,  in  which  a  complete  substitution  had  been 
effected  of  ice  for  water.    "Imagine,"  Kane  writes,  "  the  centre 
of  the  continent  of  Greenland  occupied  through  nearly  its  whole 
extent  by  a  deep  unbroken  sea  of  ice  that  gathers  perennial 
increase  from  the  water-shed  of  vast  snow-covered  mountains 
and  all  the  precipitations  of  the  atmosphere  upon  its  own  sur 
face.     Imagine  this  moving  onward  like  a  great  glacial  river, 
seeking  outlets  at  every  fiord  and  valley,  rolling  icy  cataracts 
into   the    Atlantic    and    Greenland    seas,   and,   having   at  last 
reached  the  northern  limit  of  the  land  that  has  borne  it  up, 
pouring   out   a   mighty    frozen   torrent   into   unknown   Arctic 
space.  .  .  .  Here  was  a  plastic,  moving,  semi-solid  mass,  oblite 
rating  life,  swallowing  rocks  and  islands,  and  ploughing  its  way 
with  irresistible  march  through  the  crust  of  an  investing  sea." 

Other  sledge-parties  were  from  time  to  time  sent  out.  One 
of  six  men  left  the  brig  on  the  3d  of  June,  keeping  to  the  north 
and  reaching  Humboldt  Glacier  on  the  15th.  Four  returned  to 
the  ship  on  the  27th,  one  of  them  entirely  blind.  Hans  Christian 
and  William  Morton  kept  on,  and  finally,  in  north  latitude  81° 
22',  sighted  open  water, — an  open  Polar  sea.  To  the  cape  at 
which  the  land  terminated  Morton  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Con 
stitution.  A  lofty  peak  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  channel,  but 
a  little  farther  to  the  north,  and  the  most  remote  northern  land 
known  upon  our  globe,  was  named  Mount  Edward  Parry,  from 
the  great  pioneer  of  Arctic  travel. 


538  -MAN   ri'ON  THE  SEA. 

A  second  winter  now  stared  the  explorers  in  the  face.  "It 
is  horrible,"  says  Kane,  "to  look  forward  to  another  year  of 
disease  and  darkness,  without  fresh  food  or  fuel."  Still,  pre 
parations  were  made  for  the  direful  extremity.  Willow-stems 
and  sorrel  were  collected  as  antiscorbutics.  Lumps  of  turf, 
frozen  solid,  were  quarried  with  crowbars,  and  with  them  the 
ship's  sides  were  embanked.  During  the  early  months  a  com 
munication  was  kept  up  with  the  nearest  Esquimaux  station, 
seventy-five  miles  distant,  and  thus  scanty  supplies  of  fox, 
walrus,  seal,  and  bear  meat  were  occasionally  obtained.  These 
failed,  however,  during  the  months  of  total  darkness.  Early  in 
February,  Kane  wrote  in  his  journal : — "  We  are  contending  at 
odds  with  angry  forces  close  around  us,  without  one  agent  or 
influence  within  eighteen  hundred  miles  whose  sympathy  is  on 
our  side."  On  the  4th  of  March,  the  last  fragment  of  fresh 
meat  was  served,  and  the  whole  crew  would  have  perished 
miserably  of  starvation,  had  it  not  been  for  the  successful  issue 
of  a  forlorn-hope  excursion  to  the  Etah  Esquimaux  station 
undertaken  by  Hans  and  two  dogs.  Dr.  Kane  ate  rats,  and 
thereby  escaped  the  scurvy.  The  bunks  were  warmed  by  oil- 
lamps,  after  the  Esquimaux  fashion :  the  beds  and  the  men's 
faces  became  in  consequence  black  and  greasy  with  soot.  The 
sufferings  endured  by  the  party  were  perhaps  the  most  dreadful 
to  which  Arctic  adventurers  have  ever  been  subjected. 

The  abandonment  of  the  brig  had  been  resolved  upon  before 
the  setting  in  of  winter,  and  the  misery  of  the  hours  of  darkness 
had  been  in  some  measure  alleviated  by  the  progress  of  the 
preparations  for  that  event, — in  making  clothing,  canvas  moc 
casins,  seal-hide  boots,  and  in  cutting  water-tight  shoes  from 
the  gutta-percha  speaking-tube.  Provision-bags  were  made  of 
sail-cloth  rendered  impervious  by  coats  of  tar.  Into  these  the 
bread  was  pressed  by  beating  it  to  powder  with  a  capstan-bar. 
Pork-fat  and  tallow  were  melted  down  and  poured  into  other 
bags  to  freeze.  The  three  boats — none  of  them  sea-worthy — 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  539 

were  strengthened,  housed,  and  mounted  on  sledges  rigged  with 
shoulder-belts  to  drag  by :  one  of  them  they  expected  to  burn 
for  fuel  on  reaching  water.  The  powder  and  shot,  upon  which 
their  lives  depended,  were  distributed  in  canisters :  Kane  took 
the  percussion-caps  into  his  own  possession,  as  more  precious 
than  gold.  The  17th  of  May  was  fixed  upon  for  the  departure. 

The  farewell  to  the  brig  was  made  with  due  solemnity.  The 
day  was  Sunday,  and  prayers  and  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  were 
read.  Kane  then  stated  in  an  address  the  necessities  under 
which  the  ship  was  abandoned  and  the  dangers  that  still  awaited 
them.  He  believed,  however,  that  the  thirteen  hundred  miles 
of  ice  and  water  which  lay  between  them  and  North  Greenland 
could  be  traversed  with  safety  for  most  and  hope  for  all.  A 
brief  memorial  of  the  reasons  compelling  the  desertion  of  the 
vessel  was  fastened  to  a  stanchion  near  the  gangway,  to  serve 
as  their  vindication  in  case  they  were  lost  and  the  brig  was  ever 
visited.  The  flags  were  hoisted  and  hauled  down  again,  and 
the  men  scrambled  off  over  the  ice  to  the  boats,  no  one  thinking 
of  the  mockery  of  cheers. 

We  have  not  space  to  detail  the  perils,  adventures,  and 
narrow  escapes  from  starvation  of  this  hardy  party  in  their 
romantically  dangerous  escape  to  the  south.  On  the  16th  of 
June,  the  boats  and  sledges  approached  the  open  water.  "We 
see  its  deep-indigo  horizon,"  writes  Kane,  "and  hear  its  roar 
against  the  icy  beach.  Its  scent  is  in  our  nostrils  and  our 
hearts."  The  boats,  which  were  split  with  frost  and  warped  by 
sunshine,  had  to  be  calked  and  swelled  before  they  were  fit  for 
use.  The  embarkation  was  effected  on  the  19th  :  the  Red  Eric, 
the  smallest  of  the  three  boats,  swampe'd  the  first  day.  They 
spent  their  first  night  in  an  inlet  in  the  ice.  Sometimes  they  would 
sail  through  creeks  of  water  for  many  successive  hours :  then 
would  follow  days  of  weary  tracking  through  alternate  ice  and 
water.  During  a  violent  storm,  they  dragged  the  boats  upon  a 
narrow  shelf  of  ice,  and  found  themselves  within  a  cave  which 


540 


MAN    UPON    THE   SEA. 


myriads  of  eider  had  made  their  breeding-ground.  They  re 
mained  three  days  in  this  crystal  retreat,  and  gathered  three 
thousand  eggs.  They  doubled  Cape  Dudley  Digges  on  the  llth 
of  June,  and  spent  a  week  at  Providence  Halt,  luxuriating  on 
a  dish  composed  of  birds  sweeter  and  juicier  than  canvas-backs 
and  a  salad  made  of  raw  eggs  and  cochlearia.  The  coast  now 
trended  to  the  east ;  the  wide  expanse  of  Melville  Bay  lay 
between  them  and  Upernavik, — that  Danish  outpost  of  civiliza 
tion.  The  party  was  at  one  moment  in  the  actual  agonies  of 
starvation,  when  a  lucky  shot  at  a  sleeping  seal  saved  them 
from  the  dreaded  extremity.  They  soon  saw  a  kayak — a  native 
boat — in  which  one  Paul  Zacharias  was  seeking  eider-down 


among  the  islands.  Not  long  after,  the  single  mast  of  a  small 
shallop — the  Upernavik  oil-boat — loomed  up  through  the  fog. 
They  landed  the  next  day  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  children, 
and  drank  coffee  that  night  before  hospitable  Danish  firesides. 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  541 

A  Danish  vessel — the  Mariane — was  to  return  to  Denmark 
on  the  4th  of  September,  and  at  that  date  Kane  and  his  party 
embarked  on  board  of  her,  the  captain  engaging  to  drop  them 
at  the  Shetland  Islands.  On  the  llth  they  arrived  at  God- 
havn,  and  there,  at  the  very  moment  of  their  final  departure, 
Captain  Hartstene's  relief-squadron  was  sighted  in  the  offing. 
With  the  rescue  of  the  adventurers  closes  our  record  of  Arctic 
peril  and  discovery. 

Dr.  Kane  fell  a  victim  to  his  zeal  in  the  arduous  paths  of 
science.  He  died,  on  the  16th  of  February,  1857,  at  Havana, 
where  he  was  seeking  to  recuperate  his  debilitated  system  be 
neath  a  tropical  sun.  His  loss  was  sincerely  lamented  by  the 
whole  country.  No  commander  was  ever  better  fitted  by  nature 
for  the  task  confided  to  him ;  and  no  historian  ever  chronicled 
the  results  of  his  own  labors  in  language  more  enthralling  or  in 
a  style  more  commanding  and  picturesque.* 

In  the  summer  of  1857,  an  attempt  to  unite  the  two  hemi 
spheres  by  means  of  a  submerged  electric  cable  was  made  under 
the  auspices  of  the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Tele 
graph  Company,  assisted  by  vessels  furnished  by  the  Govern 
ments  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  Of  this  under 
taking — unsuccessful  as  it  was,  and  fresh  as  it  is  in  the  minds  of 
all — our  account  will  properly  be  brief.  The  idea  was  first  con 
ceived  in  the  year  1853,  in  America,  and  was  earnestly  pursued 
in  defiance  of  all  obstacles, — Cyrus  H.  Field,  Esq.,  Vice-President 
of  the  Company,  being  one  of  its  most  zealous  and  indefatigable 
champions.  Surveys  and  deep-sea  explorations,  made  by  Cap 
tain  Berryman,  U.S.N.,  in  the  Dolphin  and  Arctic,  in  1853  and 
1856,  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  a  submarine  ledge  or  prairie, 
at  a  depth  varying  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  miles,  extending 

*  We  have  to  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Messrs.  Childs  &  Peterson, 
the  publishers  of  Dr.  Kane's  narrative,  for  the  use  of  the  spirited  engravings 
which  thus  far  illustrate  this  chapter. 


:142 


MAN  UPON  THK  SEA. 


HAULING  THE   CABLE   ASHORE. 


from  Cape  Race,  in  Newfoundland,  to  Cape  Clear,  in  Ireland. 
This  tract  received  the  name  of  the  Telegraphic  Plateau. 
Lieutenant  Maury,  of  the  National  Observatory,  inferred,  from 
observations  made  in  the  Atlantic  during  a  long  series  of  years, 
that  both  sea  and  air  would  be  in  the  most  favorable  condition 
for  laying  the  wire  between  the  20th  of  July  and  the  10th  of 
August.  The  telegraphic  fleet  consisted  of  the  U.S.  steam- 
frigate  Niagara,  Captain  Hudson,  to  lay  the  first  half  of  the 
cable  from  Valentia  Bay,  in  Ireland,  of  H.B.M.  steamer  Aga 
memnon,  to  lay  the  second  half  of  the  cable,  and  of  six  other 
auxiliary  steamers  of  both  nations. 

The  Niagara  commenced  shipping  the  cable  from  the  factory 
at  Birkenhead,  near  Liverpool,  late  in  June,  and  completed  the 
work  in  somewhat  less  than  a  month.  The  share  of  each  of  the 
two  vessels  was  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  wire, — the 
wire  itself  being  an  elaborate  combination  of  fine  copper  strands 
and  gutta-percha  coatings.  The  whole  fleet  was  assembled  in 
Valentia  Bay  on  the  4th  of  August.  The  Lord-Lieutenant  of 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 


543 


LANDING     THE     CABLE. 


Ireland  was  already  upon  the  ground,  the  guest  of  the  Knight 
of  Kerry.  The  next  evening,  the  shore-end  of  the  cable  was 
hauled  from  the  stern  of  the  Niagara  to  shallow  water  by  an 
attendant  tug  named  the  Willing  Mind,  and  from  thence  taken 
ashore,  in  the  midst  of  the  cheers  of  the  spectators,  by  a  boat's 
crew  of  American  sailors.  The  expedition  set  sail  on  Thursday, 
the  6th.  It  was  understood  that  the  first  message  was  to  be 
the  following,  from  Queen  Victoria  to  President  Buchanan : — 
"  Glory  be  to  God  on  high,  and  on  earth  peace  and  good-will 
towards  men." 

All  went  on  favorably  for  several  days :  a  constant  communi 
cation  was  kept  up  between  the  Niagara  and  the  shore.  At 
four  o'clock  on  the  following  Tuesday,  the  signals  suddenly 
ceased.  The  return  of  the  squadron  confirmed  the  fears  enter 
tained  :  the  cable  had  broken  in  deep  water.  Three  hundred 
and  thirty-five  nautical  miles  had  been  laid,  and  the  last  half 
of  it  in  water  over  two  miles  in  depth.  The  Niagara  was 
making  at  the  time  four  miles  an  hour,  and  the  cable  running 


.~>44  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

out  at  a  greater  speed, — from  five  to  six  miles  an  hour.  This 
was  more  than  could  be  afforded,  and  the  retard  strain  upon  the 
brakes  was  increased  to  three  thousand  pounds.  The  cable 
bore  the  augmented  pressure  for  a  time,  but  finally  parted,  to 
the  dismay  of  the  whole  fleet.  The  vessels  returned  to  England ; 
and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned  for  another  year.  Though 
thus  postponed,  little  or  no  doubt  existed  upon  its  ultimate  suc 
cess.  The  exhilarating  triumph  which  eventually  attended  the 
efforts  of  the  Company  will  form  the  subject  of  the  next 
chapter. 


THE    CABLE    IN    THE    BED    OF    THE    OCEAN. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

SECOND    AND    THIRD    ATTEMPTS    TO    LAY    THE    ATLANTIC    CABLE THE    FAILURE    IN 

THE     MONTH     OF     JUNE DESCRIPTION    OF    THE     CABLE THE    VOYAGE     OF     THE 

NIAGARA THE    CONTINUITY ALL    RIGHT    AGAIN CHANGE    FROM    ONE    COIL    TO 

ANOTHER THE    KNIGHTS    OF    THE     BLACK    HAND UNFAVORABLE     SYMPTOMS 

THE     INSULATION      BROKEN THE    THIRD    OF    AUGUST AN    ANXIOUS     MOMENT 

LAND    DISCOVERED TRINITY  BAY MR.   FIELD  VISITS    THE  TELEGRAPH  STATION 

— THE  OPERATORS  TAKEN  BY  SURPRISE — LANDING  OF  THE  CABLE IMPRESSIVE 

CEREMONY CAPTAIN    HUDSON    RETURNS    THANKS    TO    HEAVEN THE  VOYAGE  OF 

THE  AGAMEMNON THE  QUEEN'S  MESSAGE — THE    SIXTEENTH  OF  AUGUST DEEP- 
SEA    TELEGRAPHING THE  EQUATOR   AND    THE    CABLE — CONCLUSION. 

THE  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  undeterred  by  their 
failure  to  lay  the  cable  in  1857,  resolved  to  make  another 
attempt  in  the  summer  of  the  following  year,  the  American 
and  English  Governments  again  placing  the  Niagara  and  the 
Agamemnon  at  their  disposal.  It  was  decided,  however,  in 

order  to  lessen  the  chances  of  unfavorable  weather,  that  the 

35  545 


546  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

two  vessels  should  proceed  to  mid-ocean,  should  there  splice 
their  respective  ends  of  the  wire,  and  that  the  Agamemnon 
should  then  steam  to  Valentia  Harbor  and  the  Niagara  to 
Trinity  Bay.  They  were  each  furnished  with  an  ingenious 
contrivance  for  paying  out  the  cable, —  the  invention  of  Mr. 
Everett,  of  the  United  States  Navy.  June  was  the  month 
selected,  and  the  ships  departed  upon  their  errand.  They  were 
absent  much  longer  than  was  expected,  in  the  event  of  a  suc 
cessful  accomplishment  of  their  purpose.  When  they  returned 
to  Queenstown,  it  was  to  tell  of  storm,  disaster,  and  failure. 
Still  undaunted,  the  Company  again  despatched  the  ships.  The 
Niagara  and  Agamemnon  met  in  mid-ocean  on  the  28th  of 
July :  the  splice  was  effected,  and  the  task  began.  The  Niagara 
had  eight  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles  to  sail,  and  eleven 
hundred  miles  of  cable ;  the  Agamemnon,  with  the  same  quantity 
of  cable,  had  but  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  miles  to  sail.  The 
Niagara  had  three  hundred  tons  of  coal,  the  Agamemnon  five 
hundred.  At  one  o'clock  the  wire  began  to  reel  over  the  stern 
of-  the  Niagara,  westward  and  homeward  bound. 

The  following  engraving  will  give  a  correct  idea  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  cable  is  formed.  The  core,  or  conductor, 
is  composed  of  seven  copper  wires  wound  tightly  together. 


1.  Wire — eighteen  strands,  seven  to  an  inch. 

2.  Six  strands  of  yarn. 

3.  Gutta  percha,  three  coats. 

4.  Conducting  wires,  seven  in  number. 

5.  Section  of  the  cable,  eleven-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

The  flexibility  of  this  cable  is  so  great  that  it  may  be  tied  in 
a  knot  round  the  arm  without  injury.  Its  weight  is  eighteen 
hundred  and  sixty  pounds  to  the  mile,  and  its  strength  such 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  547 

that  six  miles  of  it  may  be  suspended  vertically  in  water  of  that 
depth  without  breaking. 

"  The  sea  is  smooth," — we  quote  the  extremely  interesting 
journal  of  an  eye-witness*,  writing  upon  the  first  day, — "the 
barometer  well  up ;  and,  if  we  can  only  do  for  the  next  seven 
days  as  well  as  we  have  done  since  one  o'clock,  we  shall  be  at 
Newfoundland  by  the  5th  of  August,  and  in  New  York  some 
time  between  the  15th  and  20th  of  the  same  month.  But  we 
have  been  somewhat  too  hasty  in  our  calculations,  for  our  ship 
has  jltst  slowed  down,  and  the  propeller  has  ceased  working  for 
the  last  ten  minutes.  There  must  be  something  wrong  to  cause 
this  interruption.  Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  machine.  The 
cable  still  goes  out,  which  certainly  would  not  be  the  case 
if  it  had  parted.  Ah !  the  continuity  !  That's  it :  there's  where 
the  difficulty  lies;  and,  as  the  electricians  are  the  only  parties 
who  can  inform  us  on  that  point,  we  at  once  go  in  search  of 
them.  A  visit  to  their  office  explains  the  whole  matter.  The 
continuity  is  not  gone  altogether,  but  is  defective, — so  defective 
that  it  is  impossible  to  get  a  signal  through  the  cable.  Still, 
there  is  not  '  dead  earth'  upon  it,  and  all  hope,  therefore,  is 
not  lost.  When  dead  earth,  as  it  is  termed,  is  on  the  con^ 
ductor,  then,  indeed,  the  difficulty  is  beyond  remedy;  for  it 
shows  that  the  conductor  must  be  broken  and  is  thrown  under 
the  influence  of  terrestrial  magnetism.  But  the  continuity  is 
not  gone ;  and,  although  with  darkening  prospects,  we  are  still 
safe  while  it  remains,  imperfect  as  it  is.  It  would  be  absurd  to 
say  that  the  occurrence  was  not  discouraging :  it  was  painfully  so ; 
for  the  hopes  of  some  of  us  had  really  begun  to  revive,  and  we 
were  gaining  confidence  every  hour.  Now  nothing  could  be 
done.  We  must  wait  until  the  continuity  should  return  or  take 
its  final  departure.  And  it  did  return,  and  with  greater  strength 
than  ever.  At  ten  minutes  past  nine  P.M.,  the  electrician  on 
duty  observed  its  failing,  and  at  half-past  eleven  he  had  the 

*  Mr.  John  Mullaly. 


548  MAN  UPON  THE  SEA> 

gratifying  intelligence  for  us  that  it  was  '  all  right  again.'  The 
machinery  was  once  more  set  in  motion,  the  cable  was  soon  going 
out  at  the  rate  of  six  mHes  an  hour,  and  the  electrical  signals 
were  passing  between  the  ships  as  regularly  as  if  nothing  had 
occurred  to  interfere  with  or  interrupt  the  continuity." 

The  change  of  the  wire  from  the  forward  main-deck  coil  to 
that  on  the  deck  immediately  below,  on  the  third  day,  is  thus 
described,  the  operation  being  a  most  delicate  and  perilous 
one: — "At  least  an  hour  before  the  change  was  made,  the 
outer  boundaries  of  the  circle  in  which  the  cable  lay  was  literally 
crowded  with  men ;  and  never  was  greater  interest  manifested 
in  any  spectacle  than  that  which  they  exhibited  in  the  proceed 
ings  before  them.  There  were  serious  doubts  and  misgivings 
as  to  the  successful  performance  of  this  important  part  of  the 
work ;  and  these  only  served  to  increase  the  feeling  of  anxiety 
and  suspense  with  which  they  silently  and  breathlessly  await 
the  critical  moment.  The  last  flake  has  been  reached,  and  as 
turn  after  turn  leaves  the  circle  every  eye  is  intently  fixed  on 
the  cable.  Now  there  are  but  thirty  turns  remaining ;  and,  as 
the  first  of  these  is  unwound,  Mr.  Everett,  who  has  been  in  the 
circle  during  the  last  half-hour,  gives  the  order  to  the  engineer 
on  duty  to  '  slow  down.'  In  a  few  moments  there  is  a  perceptible 
diminution  in  the  speed,  which  continues  diminishing  till  it  has 
reached  the  rate  of  about  two  miles  an  hour. 

"  '  Look  out  now,  men,'  says  Mr.  Everett,  in  his  usual  quiet, 
self-possessed  way.  The  men  are  as  thoroughly  wide-awake  as 
they  can  be,  and  are  waiting  eagerly  for  the  moment  when  they 
shall  lift  the  bight,  or  bend,  of  the  cable  and  deliver  it  out  safely. 
One  of  the  planks  in  the  side  of  the  cone  has  been  loosened, 
and,  just  as  they  are  about  taking  the  cable  in  their  hands,  it  is 
removed  altogether ;  so  that,  as  the  last  yard  passes  out  of  the 
now  empty  circle,  the  line  commences  paying  out  from  the 
circle  below,  or  the  'orlop'  deck,  as  it  is  called.  The  men — 
who  are  no  other  than  the  coilers,  or  'Knights  of  the  Black 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  549 

Hand/  as  they  have  not  inappropriately  been  termed — have 
done  their  work  well ;  and  the  applause  with  which  they  have 
been  greeted  by  the  crowd  of  admiring  spectators  is  the  most 
gratifying  testimony  they  can  receive  of  the  fact.  They  have 
hardly  passed  the  cable  out  of  the  circle  before  they  are  re 
ceived  with  as  enthusiastic  a  demonstration  of  approval  as  the 
rules  of  the  navy  will  permit. 

"Confidence  is  growing  stronger," — this  is  the  fourth  day, — 
"  and  there  is  considerable  speculation  as  to  the  time  we  shall 
reach  Newfoundland.  The  pilot  who  is  to  bring  us  into  Trinity 
Bay  is  now  in  great  repute,  and  is  becoming  a  more  important 
personage  every  day.  We  are  really  beginning  to  have  strong 
hopes  that  his  services  will  be  called  into  requisition  and  that 
in  the  course  of  a  few  days  more  we  will  be  in  sight  of  land. 
But  the  sea  is  not  at  all  so  smooth  as  it  was  the  day  before  : 
it  is,  in  fact,  so  rough  as  to  favor  the  belief  that  there  must 
have  been  a  severe  gale  a  short  time  since  in  these  latitudes. 
The  condition  of  the  vessel  is  such  as  to  alarm  us  greatly  for 
the  safety  of  the  cable  should  it  come  on  to  blow  very  hard, 
as  the  large  amount  already  paid  out  and  the  quantity  of  coal 
consumed  have  lightened  her  so  much  as  to  render  her  rather 
uneasy  in  a  heavy  sea.  The  wind  is  increasing,  and,  although 
it  has  not  yet  attained  the  magnitude  of  a  gale,  it  is  blow 
ing  rather  fresh  for  us  in  the  present  unsettled  state  of  our 
minds.  Both  wind  and  sea  are  nearly  abeam;  and  the 
rolling  motion  which  the  latter  creates  brings  a  strain  upon 
the  cable  which  gives  rise  to  the  most  unpleasant  feelings. 
The  sea,  too,  seems  to  be  getting  worse  every  minute,  and 
strikes  the  slender  wire  with  all  its  force.  Every  surge  of  the 
ship  affects  it ;  and  as  it  cuts  through  each  wave  it  makes  a 
small  white  line  of  foam  to  mark  its  track.  The  sight  of  that 
thread-like  wire  battling  with  the  sea  produces  a  feeling  some 
what  akin  to  that  with  which  you  would  watch  the  struggles  of 
a  drowning  man  whom  you  have  not  the  power  of  assisting. 


550  MAN   UPON   THE   SEA. 

You  can  only  look  on  and  trust  either  that  the  sea  will  go 
down  or  that  the  cable  may  be  able  to  resist  the  force  of  the 
waves  successfully.  Of  the  former  there  is  very  little  prospect, 
but  of  the  latter  there  is  every  reason  for  hope.  The  contest 
has  been  going  on  now  for  several  hours,  and  there  is  no  more 
sign  of  the  cable  parting  than  when  it  commenced.  The  elec 
tricians  report  the  continuity  perfect ;  and  the  signals  which  are 
received  at  intervals  from  the  Agamemnon  show  that  that 
vessel  is  getting  along  with  her  part  of  the  work  in  admirable 
style.  What  more  can  we  desire?" 

An  incident  occurring  upon  the  fifth  day  is  thus  described: — 
"  I  have  said  that,  despite  the  bad  weather  and  heavy  sea,  the 
paying-out  process  was  going  on  well ;  but  during  the  night  the 
continuity  was  again  affected;  and  although  it  was  restored  and 
became  as  strong  as  ever,  yet  it  was  for  about  three  hours  a 
very  unpleasant  affair.  It  was  subsequently  found  that  the 
difficulty  was  caused  by  a  defect  of  insulation  in  a  part  of  the 
wardroom  coil,  which  was  cut  out  in  time  to  prevent  any  serious 
consequences.  There  were  only  a  few  on  board  the  ship,  how 
ever,  aware  of  the  occurrence  until  after  the  defect  was  re 
moved  and  the  electrical  communication  was  re-established  be 
tween  the  two  ships.  Both  Mr.  Laws  and  Mr.  De  Santy — the  two 
electricians  on  the  Niagara — were  of  the  opinion  that  the  insula 
tion  was  broken  in  some  part  of  the  wardroom  coil ;  and,  on  using 
the  tests  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  precise  point,  they 
found  that  it  was  about  sixty  miles  from  the  bottom  of  that 
coil,  and  between  three  or  four  hundred  from  the  part  which 
was  then  paying  out.  The  cable  was  immediately  cut  at  this 
point  and  spliced  to  a  deck  coil  of  ninety  miles,  which  it  was 
intended  to  reserve  for  laying  in  shallow  water  and  was  there 
fore  kept  for  Trinity  Bay.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  continuity  was  finally  restored,  and  all  was  going  on  as  well 
as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  disturb  the  confidence  we  felt  in 
the  success  of  the  expedition." 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  551 

Upon  the  sixth  day — the  3d  of  August,  the  anniversary  of 
the  day  upon  which  Columbus  sailed  from  Palos — the  great  work 
took  place  of  the  change  from  "  the  fore-hold  coil  to  that  in  the 
wardroom,  which  are  at  least  two  hundred  feet  apart.  This 
occurred  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning;  and,  as  the  time  was 
known  to  all  on  board,  there  was  even  a  larger  crowd  assembled 
to  witness  it  than  I  observed  at  any  of  the  other  changes.  It 
was  considered  a  most  critical  time;  and,  although  the  opera 
tion  turned  out  to  be  very  simple,  it  was  anticipated  by  some 
with  considerable  uneasiness.  The  splice  between  the  two  coils 
had  been  made  some  hours  in  advance,  and  men  were  stationed 
all  along  the  line  of  its  course  from  the  hold  to  the  wardroom. 
Mr.  Everett  and  Mr.  Woodhouse  were  both  on  hand ;  the  best 
men  had  been  picked  out  to  pass  up  the  bight,  when  the 
last  turn  should  be  reached ;  and  one  man,  named  Henry 
Paine,  a  splicer,  was  specially  appointed  to  walk  forward  with 
the  bight  to  the  after  or  wardroom  coil.  As  the  last  flake  was 
about  to  be  paid  out  the  ship  was  slowed  down,  and  by  the 
time  the  last  three  or  four  turns  came  to  be  paid  out  she  could 
hardly  be  said  to  be  moving  through  the  water.  The  line  came 
up  more  slowly  from  the  hold,  until  we  were  nearing  the 
bight,  where  it  could  not  have  been  going  out  faster  than  half  a 
mile  an  hour.  One  more  turn  and  the  bight  comes  up.  There 
is  not  a  sound  to  be  heard  from  the  crowd  who  are  watching  it 
with  eager  and  anxious  faces  from  every  point  of  view.  No  one 
speaks,  or  has  ventured  to  speak  for  the  last  minute,  except  the 
engineers,  and  they  have  very  little  to  say,  for  their  orders  are 
conveyed  in  the  most  laconic  style;  and  the  quick  'ay,  ay!' 
of  the  men  show  that  they  understand  the  full  value  of  time. 
'Now,  men,'  says  Mr.  Everett,  'look  out  for  the  bight,'  as 
those  in  the  hold  hand  it  up  to  the  men  on  the  orlop  deck,  and 
it  is  passed  from  hand  to  hand  till  it  reaches  the  platform  and 
long  passage  which  has  been  built  upon  the  spar-deck  for  this 
part  of  the  work.  Here  the  bight  arrives  at  last,  and  Paine 


552  MAN    UPON   THE   SEA. 

takes  it  in  his  hand,  paying  out  as  he  follows  the  line  of  the 
cable  to  the  wardroom  coil.  How  anxiously  the  men  watch 
him  as  he  walks  that  terrible  distance  of  two  hundred  feet,  and 
think  that  if  he  should  happen  to  trip  or  stumble  while  he  holds 
that  bight  in  his  hand  the  great  enterprise  may  end  in  disaster ! 
It  is  not  a  difficult  task ;  but  how  often  have  things  that  are  so 
easily  performed  been  defeated  by  want  of  coolness  !  There  is, 
however,  such  an  easy  self-possession  about  the  man,  as  he  comes 
slowly  aft  with  the  long  black  line,  that  inspires  confidence. 
All  hands  have  deserted  the  decks  below,  and  follow  him  as 
he  walks  aft,  and  one,  in  his  impatience  to  get  a  glimpse  of  him, 
has  nearly  fallen  through  the  skylight  of  the  engine-room,  in 
which  he  has  smashed  several  panes  of  glass  in  the  effort  to 
save  himself.  '  Pick  up  the  pieces,'  says  Paine,  in  a  vein  of 
quiet  humor,  as  he  proceeds  on  his  course  without  interruption, 
and,  coming  up  to  the  wheel,  which  is  immediately  above  the 
wardroom,  he  straightens  the  bight,  and  the  cable  begins  to  run 
out  from  the  top  of  the  coil  on  the  deck  beneath.  His  work  is 
done;  and,  as  the  line  passes  out  of  his  hands,  he  receives  a 
round  of  applause  from  the  hands  of  the  spectators,  who,  but 
for  those  terrible  navy  rules,  would  have  greeted  him  with  a 
cheer  that  would  have  done  his  heart  good.  As  it  is,  they 
must  give  vent  to  their  feelings  in  some  way ;  and  the  exclama 
tions  of  '"Well  done!'  'That's  the  fellow!'  'Good  boy,  Paine!' 
are  not  a  bad  compromise,  after  all.  Besides,  it  might  be 
rather  premature  at  this  time  to  indulge  in  any  triumphant 
expression  of  feeling  before  we  are  even  in  sight  of  land." 

Upon  the  seventh  day  land  was  discovered  from  the  masthead. 
"  It  is  now  half-past  two  o'clock,  and  we  are  entering  Trinity 
Bay  at  a  speed  of  seven  and  a  half  knots  an  hour,  paying  out 
the  cable  at  a  very  slight  increase  on  the  same  rate.  The 
curve  which  it  forms  between  the  ship  and  the  water  proves 
that  there  is  little  or  no  strain  upon  it,  and  proves  also  another 
thing, — that  it  can  be  run  out  at  eight,  nine,  and,  I  believe,  ten 


MAN   UPON   THE   SEA.  553 

rniles  with  the  greatest  safety.  This,  however,  as  I  have  pre 
viously  stated,  cannot  be  done  with  old  cable  that  has  been 
coiled  so  often  as  to  have  a  tendency  to  kink  ;  and  there  is — as 
has  been  already  intimated — some  of  this  kind  which  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  pay  out  before  landing.  A  signal  signifying  '  all  well' 
has  been  received  from  the  Agamemnon,  which  must  now  be  on 
the  point  of  landing  her  cable  at  Valentia  Bay,  Ireland,  which  is 
about  sixteen  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  our  present  position." 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  while  the  Niagara  was  pro 
ceeding  up  Trinity  Bay  and  was  yet  some  eighteen  miles 
distant  from  the  landing-place,  Mr.  Field  left  the  ship  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  the  telegraph  station  and  sending  a  despatch 
to  the  United  States.  "  It  was  near  two  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  before  he  arrived  at  the  beach ;  and,  as  it  was  quite  dark,  he 
had  considerable  difficulty  in  finding  the  path  that  led  up  to  the 
station.  There  was  no  house  in  sight,  and  the  whole  scene  was 
as  dreary  and  as  desolate  as  a  wilderness  at  night  could  be.  A 
silence  as  of  the  grave  reigned  over  every  thing  before  him ; 
while  behind,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile,  he  could  see  the  huge  hull 
of  the  Niagara  looming  up  indistinctly  through  the  gloom  of 
night,  and  the  light  of  the  lamps  on  her  deck  making  the  dark 
ness  still  darker  and  blacker  by  the  contrast.  He  entered  the 
narrow  road,  and  after  a  journey  of  what  appeared  to  be  twenty 
miles  he  came  in  sight  of  the  station,  which  stands  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  beach.  There  was,  however,  no  sign  of  life 
there ;  and  the  house  in  its  stillness  looked  strangely  in  unison 
with  every  thing  around.  It  had  a  deserted  look,  as  if  it  had 
long  since  ceased  to  be  the  habitation  of  man.  In  vain  he 
looked  for  a  door  in  the  front ;  but  there  was  no  entrance  there. 
He  looked  up  at  the  windows,  in  the  hope,  perhaps,  of  being 
able  to  enter  by  that  way ;  but  the  windows  in  the  lower  story 
were  beyond  his  reach ;  and  the  house,  having  been  partly  built 
on  piles,  had  the  appearance  of  being  raised  on  stilts.  A 
detour  of  the  establishment,  however,  led  to  the  discovery  of  a 


554  MAX    UPON    THE    SEA. 

door  in  the  side;  and  through  this  he  finally  succeeded  in  effect 
ing  an  entrance.  The  noise  he  made  in  getting  in,  it  was 
natural  to  expect,  would  arouse  the  inmates ;  but  there  seemed 
either  to  be  no  inmates  to  arouse,  or  those  inmates  were  not 
easily  disturbed.  He  stopped  for  a  moment  to  listen,  and  as  he 
listened  he  heard  the  breathing  of  sleepers  in  an  apartment 
near  him.  The  door  was  immediately  thrown  open,  and  in 
a  few  seconds  the  sleepers  were  awake, — wide  awake,  and 
opening  their  eyes  wider  and  wider  as  the  wonderful  news  fell 
upon  their  astonished  and  delighted  ears.  They  could  hardly 
believe  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  and  were  bewildered  at 
what  they  heard.  The  cable  laid,  when,  but  a  few  short  weeks 
before,  they  had  received  the  news  of  disaster  and  defeat,  and 
they  had  looked  only  to  the  far-distant  future  for  the  accom 
plishment  of  the  great  work !  The  cable  laid,  and  they  un 
conscious  of  it! — they,  who  had  waited  and  watched  so  many 
weary  days  and  weeks  for  the  ships  they  had  begun  to  be 
lieve  would  never  come!  And  they  were  now  in  the  bay, 
—  those  same  ships, — within  a  mile  of  them !  Can  they  be 
dreaming?  Dreaming!  No.  What  they  have  heard  is  true, — 
all  true ;  and  there  is  the  living  witness  before  them. 

"  'What  do  you  want  ?'  was  the  exclamation  of  the  first  who 
was  awakened,  as  he  endeavored  to  rub  the  sleep  out  of  his  eyes. 

"'I  want  you  to  get  up,'  said  Mr.  Field,  'and  help  us  to 
take  the  cable  ashore.' 

"  '  To  take  the  cable  ashore  ?'  re-echoed  the  others,  who  were 
now  just  awakening,  and  who  heard  the  words  with  a  dim, 
dreamy  idea  of  their  meaning;  'to  take  the  cable  ashore?' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  Mr.  Field;  'and  we  want  you  at  once.' 

"They  were  now  thoroughly  aroused;  and,  directing  Mr. 
Field  to  the  bedrooms  of  the  other  sleepers, — for  there  were 
four  or  five  others  in  the  house, —  they  prepared  themselves 
with  all  haste  to  assist  in  landing  the  cable.  Mr.  Field  found 
that  the  telegraph  office  would  not  be  open  till  nine  o'clock 


MAN    UPON    THE    SEA.  555 

that  morning,  and  that  the  operator  of  the  New  York,  New 
foundland,  and  London  telegraph  was  absent  at  the  time. 
He  also  ascertained  that  the  nearest  station  at  which  he 
could  find  an  operator  was  fifteen  miles  distant,  and  that  the 
only  way  of  getting  there  was  on  foot.  Now,  fifteen  miles  in 
Newfoundland  is  about  equal  to  twice  the  distance  in  a  civilized 
country,  and  is  a  tolerably  long  walk ;  but  it  was  something  to 
be  the  bearer  of  such  news  to  a  whole  continent,  and  so  two 
of  the  young  men  willingly  volunteered  for  the  journey,  bearing 
with  them,  for  transmission  to  New  York  and  the  whole  United 
States,  the  despatch  which  contained  the  first  announcement 
of  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  work." 

Upon  the  eighth  day  the  cable  was  landed,  the  ships  being 
dressed  with  flags  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  Sixty  men  from 
the  Niagara,  and  forty  from  the  British  ships  Gorgon  and 
Porcupine,  took  part  in  this  task  and  the  attendant  ceremonies. 
"The  landing-place  for  the  cable  is  a  very  picturesque  little 
beach,  on  which  a  wharf  has  been  constructed.  A  road,  about 
the  dimensions  of  a  bridle-path,  has  been  cut  through  the  forest, 
and  up  this  road,  through  bog  and  mire,  you  find  your  way  to 
the  telegraph  station,  about  half  a  mile  distant.  Alongside  of 
this  road  a  trench  has  been  dug  for  the  cable,  to  preserve  it 
from  accidents  to  which  it  might  otherwise  be  liable. 

"  When  the  boats  arrived  at  the  landing,  the  officers  and 
men  jumped  ashore,  and  Mr.  North,  first  lieutenant  of  the 
Niagara,  presented  Captain  Hudson  with  the  end  of  the  cable. 
Captain  Otter,  of  the  Porcupine,  and  Commander  Dayman,  of 
the  Gorgon,  now  took  hold  of  it,  and,  all  the  officers  and  men 
following  their  example,  a  procession  was  formed  along  the 
line.  The  road  or  path  over  which  we  had  to  take  the  cable 
was  a  most  primitive  affair.  It  led  up  the  side  of  a  hill  a  couple 
of  hundred  feet  high,  and  had  been  cut  out  of  the  thick  forest 
of  pines  and  other  evergreens.  In  some  places  the  turf — which 
is  to  be  found  here  on  the  top  of  the  highest  mountains — was  so 


556  MAN    UPON   THE    SEA. 

soft  with  recent  rains  that  you  would  sink  to  your  ankles  in  it. 
Well,  it  was  up  this  road  we  had  to  march  with  the  cable ;  and 
a  splendid  time  we  had.  It  was  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  three  captains  who  headed  the  procession  would  certainly 
pick  out  the  best  parts  and  give  us  the  advantage  of  the 
stepping-stones;  but  it  appeared  all  the  same  to  them;  and 
they  plunged  into  the  boggiest  and  dirtiest  parts  with  a  reck 
lessness  and  indifference  that  satisfied  us  they  were  about  the 
worst  pilots  we  could  have  had  on  land,  despite  their  well-known 
abilities  as  navigators. 

"This  memorable  procession  started  at  a  quarter  to  six 
o'clock,  and  arrived  at  the  telegraph  station  about  twenty 
minutes  after.  The  ascent  of  the  hill  was  the  worst  part  of  the 
journey ;  but  when  we  got  to  the  top  the  scene  which  opened 
before  us  would  have  repaid  us  for  a  journey  of  twenty  miles 
over  a  still  worse  road.  There  beneath  us  lay  the  harbor,  shut 
in  by  mountains,  except  at  the  entrance  from  Trinity  Bay ;  and 
there,  too,  lay  the  steamers  of  the  two  greatest  maritime  nations 
of  the  world.  On  every  side  lies  an  unbroken  wilderness,  and,  if 
we  except  the  telegraph  station,  at  which  we  will  soon  arrive, 
not  a  single  habitation  to  tell  that  man  has  ever  lived  here. 

"Never  was  such  a  remarkable  scene  presented  since  the 
world  began.  Even  now,  at  the  very  point  of  its  realization,  it 
does  not  seem  as  if  the  work  in  which  we  have  been  engaged 
has  been  accomplished.  The  continuity,  however,  without 
which  the  cable  would  be  utterly  valueless,  is  as  perfect  now 
as  it  ever  was.  Mr.  Laws  and  Mr.  De  Santy,  the  two  chief  elec 
tricians  who  have  accompanied  us  from  England,  have  '  tasted' 
the  current,  and  about  a  dozen  others  at  the  head  of  the  proces 
sion  have  done  the  same  thing.  The  writer  himself  is  a  witness 
on  this  point,  and  will  never  forget  the  singular  acid  taste  which 
it  had.  Some  received  a  pretty  strong  shock, — so  strong  that 
they  willingly  resigned  the  chance  of  repeating  the  experiment. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  the  procession  the  cable  is  brought  up  to 


MAN    UPON   THE   SEA.  557 

the  house  and  the  end  placed  in  connection  with  the  instru 
ment.  The  deflection  of  the  needle  on  the  galvanometer  gives 
incontrovertible  evidence  that  the  electrical  condition  of  the 
cable  is  satisfactory.  The  question  now  is,  How  shall  we  pro 
perly  celebrate  the  consummation  of  the  great  event?  How, 
but  by  an  acknowledgment  to  that  Providence  without  whose 
favor  the  enterprise  must  have  ended  in  disaster  and  defeat? 
Captain  Hudson  took  up  his  position  on  a  pile  of  boards,  the 
officers  and  men  standing  round  amid  shavings,  stumps  of  trees, 
pieces  of  broken  furniture,  sheets  of  copper,  telegraph-batteries, 
little  mounds  of  lime  and  mortar,  branches  of  trees,  huge  boul 
ders,  and  a  long  catalogue  of  other  things  equally  incongruous. 

"'We  have,'  said  the  captain,  'just  accomplished  a  work 
which  has  attracted  the  attention  and  enlisted  the  interest  of 
the  whole  world.  That  work,'  he  continued,  '  has  been  per 
formed  not  by  ourselves:  there  has  been  an  Almighty  Hand 
over  us  and  aiding  us ;  and,  without  the  divine  assistance  thus 
extended  us,  success  was  impossible.  With  this  conviction  firmly 
impressed  upon  our  minds,  it  becomes  our  duty  to  acknowledge 
our  indebtedness  to  that  overruling  Providence  who  holds  the 
sea  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand.  "  Not  unto  us,  0  Lord,  not 
unto  us,  but  to  thy  name,  be  all  the  glory."  I  hope  the  day 
will  never  come  when,  in  all  our  works,  we  shall  refuse  to 
acknowledge  the  overruling  hand  of  a  divine  and  almighty 
Power.  .  .  .  There  are  none  here,  I  am  sure,  whose  hearts  are 
not  overflowing  with  feelings  of  the  liveliest  gratitude  to  God  in 
view  of  the  great  work  which  has  been  accomplished  through  his. 
permission,  and  who  are  not  willing  to  join  in  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving  for  its  successful  termination.  I  will  therefore  ask 
you  to  join  me  in  the  following  prayer,  which  is  the  same,  with 
a  few  necessary  alterations,  that  was  offered  for  the  laying  of 
the  cable.'  ' 

This  prayer  was  then  offered  at  the  throne  of  grace  by  the 
captain,  the  auditors  responding  at  its  close  with  an  "Amen" 


558 


MAN   UPON   THE    SEA. 


which  showed  with  what  profound  emotion  they  regarded  the 
scene  in  which  they  were  such  prominent  actors. 


THE    AGAMEMNON    IN    A    GALE. 


In  regard  to  the  voyage  of  the  Agamemnon  we  find  little  to 
say  which  would  not  be  a  repetition  of  that  of  the  Niagara, 
with  the  exception  that  she  experienced  much  less  favorable 
weather,  and  that  the  admirable  paying-out  machine  invented 
by  our  countryman,  Mr.  Everett,  performed  its  delicate  duty 
under  more  trying  circumstances  than  those  to  which  it  had 
been  subjected  on  the  American  frigate.  The  Queen's  Message 
was  transmitted  over  the  wire  on  the  16th  of  August;  and, 
intelligence  of  the  fact  being  made  known  the  same  evening 
throughout  the  Northern  and  Western  States^  the  people  gave 
themselves  up  to  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  joy.  Few  per 
sons  of  an  age  to  appreciate  the  significance  of  the  triumph 
will  forget  that  memorable  night. 

^\  ith  the  laying  of  the  cable  our  duty  as  a  chronicler  ends. 


MAN    UPON   THE    SEA.  559 

We  have  not  to  follow  the  inventors,  electricians,  and  com 
manders  to  the  land,  and  detail  the  ovations  of  which  they  were 
the  honored  objects.  The  public  will  long  remember  the  elo 
quence  of  the  orators  who  dilated  upon  the  theme,  the  inspired 
language  in  which  the  newspapers  held  forth  to  their  amazed 
subscribers,  and  the  prophetic  vein  in  which  the  clergy  felt 
justly  entitled  to  indulge.  Fifty  years  from  now,  those  who  were 
boys  on  the  16th  of  August  will  tell,  with  un diminished  interest, 
of  the  tar-barrels  and  bonfires,  the  salutes  and  fireworks,  the 
illuminations  and  torchlight  processions,  which,  from  one  end 
of  the  country  to  the  other,  welcomed  the  inspiring  tidings  and 
made  the  summer  night  gorgeous  with  flames  and  clamorous 
with  artillery.  The  cable  is  at  length  laid  through  the  bed  of 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Over  what  jagged  mountain-ranges  is  that 
slender  filament  carried !  In  what  deep  oceanic  valleys  does  it 
rest !  Through  what  strange  and  unknown  regions,  among  things 
how  uncouth  and  wild,  must  it  thread  its  way !  Still,  in  spite 
of  this  first  magnificent  success,  deep-sea  telegraphing  must  be 
regarded  as  in  its  very  infancy ;  and  doubtless  many  new  and 
even  more  marvellous  feats  will  yet  be  performed  claiming  ad 
mission  among  the  achievements  of  Man  upon — or  rather  be 
neath — the  Sea. 

Perhaps  the  best  among  the  numerous  good  things  suggested 
by  the  happy  return  of  the  Telegraphic  Fleet  was  the  following 
sentiment: — "THE  EQUATOR  AND  THE  CABLE:  the  former  an 
imaginary  line  which  divides  the  poles,  the  latter  a  veritable 
line  which  connects  the  hemispheres  !" 

"  Far,  far  below  ocean's  heaving  breast, 
Where  the  storm-spirit  ever  is  hush'd  to  rest, 
The  cable  now  lies  on  its  snowy  bed, — 
The  glittering  ashes  of  ocean's  dead  ; 
And  storms  shall  not  break  nor  tempests  sever 
This  arch  of  promise,  for  ever  and  ever, 
Till  an  angel  shall  stand  with  one  foot  on  the  sea 
And  swear  that  time  no  longer  shall  be." 


560  MAN    UPON    THE    SEA. 

Thus  conclude  the  chronicles  of  the  sea.  It  is  a  thought 
eminently  calculated  to  teach  a  lesson  of  humility,  that  the  sea, 
after  centuries  of  submission  to  man  and  of  ministration  to  his 
necessities  and  his  pleasures,  is  positively  and  absolutely  the 
same,  in  its  physical  aspects,  as  when,  after  the  subsidence  of 
the  waters  of  the  Deluge,  it  took  its  place  in  the  great  hollows 
and  valleys  of  our  globe.  Man  has  often  made  the  wilderness  to 
blossom  as  the  rose ;  but  not  one  iota  of  change  has  he  wrought 
upon  the  investing  desert  of  waters.  With  that  splendid  stanza 
upon  a  splendid  theme,  and  which  will  be  as  immortal  as  its  sub 
ject,  we  close  our  record  of  the  achievements  of  Man  upon  the 
Sea: 

Thy  shores  are  empires,  changed  in  all  save  thee : 

Assyria,  Greece,  Rome,  Carthage,  what  are  they  ? 
Thy  waters  wasted  them  while  they  were  free, 
And  many  a  tyrant  since:  their  shores  obey 
The  stranger,  slave,  or  savage:  their  decay 
Has  dried  up  realms  to  deserts :  NOT  so  THOU, 

UNCHANGEABLE  SAVE  TO  THY  WILD  WAVES'  PLAY: 
TIME  WRITES  NO  WRINKLE  ON  THINE  AZURE  BROW : 
SUCH  AS  CREATION'S  DAWN  BEHELD,  THOU  ROLLEST  NOW. 


THE    END. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


_ _ 

MAR  3  [  19S9 


2  WEEU  LOAf 


•  ' •  III II  HIM  fllll  Hill  HI)  (HI 

A     000162674     6 


